Impact of combination therapy on disease free survival in hypopharynx cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the disease-free survival in hypopharyngeal tumors submitted to postoperative radiotherapy.

METHODS

we retrospectively studied 174 patients with the following distribution: two cases of stage I, four stage II, 46 stage III and 122 stage IV. Regarding gender, 163 were male and 11 female; mean age was 56 years. All patients underwent pharyngolaryngectomy; neck dissections were radical in 206 and selective in 16. One hundred six patients underwent postoperative radiotherapy, with a mean dose of 58.2 Gy.

RESULTS

Histological examination showed two cases of stage pT1, 15 stage pT2, 100 stage pT3 and 57 stage pT4. As for lymph nodes, 25 patients had no involvement (pN0); 149 presented with lymph node invasion (pN +). Five-year disease-free survival was 40% and the overall survival was 28%. According to the results of histological examination, five-year disease-free survival was 75% in clinical stage III versus 28% in IV.

CONCLUSION

The initial manifestation of squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx happens in advanced stages (III and IV), with superior five-year disease-free survival in clinical stage III.