Radiation therapy for carcinoma of the hypopharynx with special reference to nodal control.

From October 1977 through December 1983, 61 patients with carcinoma of the hypopharynx were treated with radiation therapy (RT) and surgery or with RT alone. Five-year survival rates by N-stage, according to the TNM classification by UICC (1978), were 52% for N0 cases, 23% for N1, and 17% for N2-3 (N1 vs. N2-3, not significant). For N1-3 cases, corresponding figures by level of cervical nodal involvement by UICC (1978) were 29% for level 3 cases, 15% for level 2, and 8% for level 4 (level 3 vs. level 4, p less than 0.04). Therefore, the level of cervical nodal involvement was a more useful prognosticator for patients with nodal metastasis than the N-stage. Effective nodal control for patients with clinically positive nodes (N1-3) was obtained with a combination of neck node dissection and RT of 50 Gy or more. For N0 cases, elective RT of 50 Gy or more, encompassing an adequate field, was required.