Abstract
This paper presents the results of radical radiotherapy and salvage surgery in patients with carcinoma of the larynx or hypopharynx.
Between 1986 and 2002, 120 patients with carcinoma of the larynx or hypopharynx were treated with radical radiotherapy (Stage III in 25 patients and Stage N in 95 patients, laryngeal cancer in 50 patients and hypopharyngeal cancer in 70 patients). Eighty-nine patients were treated with radiotherapy alone, and 31 patients were treated with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (CF) chemotherapy.
The locoregional control rates of stage III patients (72%) were better than those of stage IV patients (44%), but there was no difference between patients with laryngeal carcinoma (34%) and those with hypopharyngeal carcinoma (47%).
Salvage surgery should be applied only to selected cases for whom resection is deemed likely to result in good locoregional control and QOL, and to reduce surgical complications.
Although the usefulness of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma was suggested, salvage surgery was unsuccessful in one case after concurrent chemoradiotherapy because of delay of wound healing.
In conclusion, radical radiotherapy is applied to stage i patients with not only laryngeal carcinoma but also hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Salvage surgery is recommended only for those cases confirmed to be resectable.
