Neoadjuvant treatment combined with planned surgery in laryngeal function preservation for locally advanced pyriform sinus carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the efficacy and feasibility of preoperative radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy (XRT) followed by surgery of locally advanced pyriform sinus carcinoma.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We performed a retrospective study of 482 patients with T3 and T4 pyriform sinus carcinoma treated with curative intent between 1979 and 2008. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to different treatment patterns.

RESULTS

The 5-year disease-special survival rate was 32%. Survival was best for the patients treated with surgery followed by XRT (41.1%) and with neoadjuvant XRT followed by surgery (39.4%), but it was worse with surgery only (27.1%) and XRT alone (23%). The disease-special survival was significantly different between the patients who accepted multidisciplinary therapy and those who accepted single therapy (P<0.001). The 5-year laryngeal function preservation survival rate of the patients with XRT followed by surgery was 13.6%, which was similar to those with XRT alone (16.2%), and superior to those who accepted surgery followed by XRT (3.8%) and surgery alone (0). Multivariate analysis results revealed that treatment pattern is an independent predictor of both overall and laryngeal function preservation survival rates (P < 0.001; hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-0.71). Perioperative wound complications were not different among the patients in the 3 groups who accepted surgical treatment (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggested that neoadjuvant XRT followed by planned surgery was feasible with satisfactory oncological and functional outcomes.