Our study involves the retrospective investigation of two groups of patients that were treated at our hospital between 1987 and 1996. The first group consists of thirty-six cases of T3 and T4 laryngeal cancer. The second group consists of thirty cases of T3 and T4 hypopharyngeal cancer. Total laryngectomy and total pharyngo-laryngo-esophagectomy were performed on 24 of the first group and on 15 of the second group. The five-year survival rate were 61% and 44% respectively. Complete remission cases with chemotherapy and radiation therapy were five cases and four cases respectively. Local recurrence occurred in 2 cases of laryngeal cancer and cervical lymph node metastasis occurred in a case of hypopharyngeal cancer. The remaining cases of laryngeal preservation showed tumors were highly responsive to chemotherapy and radiation therapy and that vocal cord paralysis disappeared after 40 Gy irradiation.
