[Treatment failures of surgical and combined (surgery and radiotherapy) treatment in carcinoma of the larynx and hypopharynx--20 years experience of ENT Department, District Hospital in Kielce].

The 280 cases (29.8%) of treatment failures after surgical and combined (surgery + rtg-therapy) treatment in 940 cases of carcinoma of larynx and hypopharynx has been taken into analysis. The recurrence within regional lymph nodes (11.9%), followed by local recurrences (11.5%) has dominated in this group. The distant metastases had been registered only in 2.6% of the whole treated group and the second primary tumours (included to the analysis of treatment failures) has been registered in 3.8%. The failures distribution has not been related to the sex and age of the patients, but significant dependence of failures rate to the general condition of the patient, the local and nodal advancement of the disease, and histological grade of tumour has been found. The highest rate of treatment failures was in hypopharynx localisation of primary tumour and the lowest in glottic region of the larynx. The results obtained in salvage treatment after failure of primary treatment has been unfavourable. In general, only 22.1% of patient with primary treatment failure has achieved 3-years survival, and 13.6% 5-years survival rate. In should be pointed out, that salvage treatment has been applied only to 40.8% of this group. The remaining patients received only symptomatic and palliative treatment.