(A comparative study between the effect of radio-chemotherapy versus surgery with or without postoperative radiotherapy on advanced stage hypopharyngeal carcinoma (stage III and IV

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx represents about 5% of all head and neck cancers, the most frequent site is the pyriform sinus, representing (70%) of the cases followed by the post-cricoid region (15% -20%) and the posterior wall (10% to 15%). Hypopharyngeal Squamous cell cancers are biologically very aggressive; with sub-mucosal spread in 60%, beside Proximity of hypopharyngeal tumors to the larynx causes them to affect laryngeal functions, also a high incidence of metastasis to the jugular, para-tracheal and retropharyngeal group of lymph nodes which may result in the nodal disease as the primary manifestation in 65% to 80%and occult metastasis in 30% to 40% of N0 necks. The diagnosis of hypopharygeal carcinomas must be assigned after a thorough assessment of the patient, including patient’s medical history, high definition endoscopic examination, radiological assessment and biopsy. The accepted standard for staging of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is represented by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) staging system.