Epidemiological assessment and therapeutic response in hypopharyngeal cancer

Despite the low incidence, diagnostic and therapeutic advances, hypopharyngeal cancer still has high mortality.ObjectiveTo evaluate retrospectively the epidemiological profile and response to surgery and radiation/chemotherapy of patients with hypopharyngeal cancer.MethodWe reviewed the medical records of 114 patients treated between 2002 and 2009 in a tertiary hospital with histopathological diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 57 years, 94.7% were males and 5.3% females, 98.2% were smokers and 92% consumed alcohol; 72% are illiterate or did not complete first grade schooling. The main complaints were: neck node (28%), pain and dysphagia (22%), odynophagia (12.2%), dysphonia (7.8%). The clinical staging was: I (1.7%), II (3.5%), III (18.4%), IV (76.3%). The treatment was carried out with radiotherapy and chemotherapy alone in 35%, with mean 2-year survival of 20% and 5-year survival of 18%; surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy in 22.8% with 2-year survival of 60.0% and 5 years of 55.0%; chemotherapy alone in 2.6%, and 39.4% without treatment.ConclusionMost patients already had advanced clinical stages and independent of the treatment option, had a low survival rate, confirming the poor prognosis of this neoplasm.