Surgery is not the only determinant of an outcome in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes in patients treated for hypopharyngeal carcinoma in a single-center and the importance of considering how patient factors influence outcomes. A retrospective review was conducted on patients who were seen at the Prince of Wales Hospital from 1968 to 2015. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed for each patient and treatment factor to investigate outcomes of local control, cancer-specific survival (CSS), and ultimate local control. Three hundred thirty patients were analyzed. Significant multivariate predictors for improved local control and CSS were fitness for surgery, cancer operability, surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy, no treatment interruptions (P < .05). Five-year local control (84%), CSS (50%), and ultimate local control (84%) rates were significantly higher in patients treated surgically with adjuvant radiotherapy, compared to single modality treatment (P < .05). Patient factors influence the outcomes experienced by patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma.