Different clinical outcomes between locally advanced hypopharyngeal and oropharyngeal cancer treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy: implication for subgroup selection for induction chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to compare the long-term clinical outcome of hypopharynx cancer and oropharynx cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

METHODS

A total of 213 patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (n = 79) or oropharygeal squamous cell carcinoma (n = 134) were included. All patients were treated with upfront concurrent chemoradiotherapy between 1995 and 2012.

RESULTS

The median overall survival and progression-free survival differed significantly between the two groups (P < 0.05). Overall survival and progression-free survival rates at 3 years were 52% and 42% for hypopharynx cancer, and 75% and 72% for oropharynx cancer, respectively. There was no significant difference in the overall incidence of distant metastases but more locoregional recurrences occurred in patients with hypopharynx cancer compared with those with oropharynx cancer with a statistical significance (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients diagnosed with locally advanced hypopharyngeal had relatively poor survival after upfront concurrent chemoradiotherapy. More intensive treatment such as induction chemotherapy before concurrent chemoradiotherapy might be needed to improve survival outcome in this subgroup of patients.