Current management strategy of hypopharyngeal carcinoma

Primary Surgery vs Chemoradiation Treatment of Advanced-Stage Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Many authors endorse organ preservation, with salvage surgery reserved for local relapse, while other studies suggest that primary surgery may provide superior results. 16,18 There remains no firm consensus on optimal initial management of these patients. Age, sex, tumor stage, and KPS have all been established as prognostic factors affecting survival in patients with HP SCC.…”

Identification of tumour suppressive microRNA-451a in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma based on microRNA expression signature

“…Hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC) occurs less frequently and accounts for 3–5% of all HNSCC (Hall et al , 2008; Cooper et al , 2009). In spite of considerable advances in multimodality therapy, including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the overall survival rate for patients with HSCC is only 15–45% (Takes et al , 2012; Chan & Wei, 2013). Patients with HSCC are usually diagnosed at a late stage and local tumour recurrence and distant metastasis occur after conventional therapies (Takes et al , 2012; Chan and Wei, 2013).…”

Imaging for Head and Neck Cancer

“…The choline/creatine ratio is usually elevated in cases of metastatic lymphadenopathy. 44 Nasopharyngeal carcinomas may present as infiltration of adjacent soft tissues with little mass effect. Infiltration of the adjacent tissue then leads to effacement of the margins of the muscular tissues.…”

“…MRI allows for better delineation of the soft tissue infiltration and discerns lymphoid tissue from adjacent soft tissue and muscle. [42][43][44] For example, tumor infiltration of the region between the tensor and levator veli palatini muscles (part of the parapharyngeal space) or even fatty infiltration of the region between the nasopharyngeal mucosa and longus capitis muscle (which is known as the retropharyngeal region) will be depicted as an area of fatty infiltration or even obliteration of the usually seen normal hyperintense signal on T1-weighted imaging. 21 In patients with nasopharyngeal carcinomas, tumors begin in the fossa of Rosenmü ller and have local extension with initial metastases to the retropharyngeal lymph nodes of Rouviè re.…”