Objective:  To analyse different treatment strategies and treatment results of hypopharyngeal carcinoma in the Netherlands. Design:  Retrospective study. Setting:  Eight head and neck centres in the Netherlands. Participants:  A total of 893 patients were treated between 1985 and 1994. Patients were mostly treated with radiotherapy alone, combined surgery and radiotherapy and surgery alone. Results:  The 5‐year survival for the whole group was 26%. The 5‐year survival for patients treated with curative intention was 32% and treated with palliative intention was 5%. The 5‐year disease‐free survival after radiotherapy alone was 37%, after surgery alone 41% and after combined therapy 47%. The role of chemotherapy could not be investigated because of a small number of patients treated with chemotherapy in this period. Conclusion:  Combined therapy with surgery and radiotherapy has a better survival for patients with a hypopharyngeal carcinoma in comparison with radiotherapy alone. The N‐stage is more important for the prognosis than the T‐stage.

This case is the first report in the literature, clearly demonstrating bone and osteoid formation by a mucosal melanoma, not only at the primary site, but even more convincingly in a cervical lymph node metastasis.

B-3a.

No abstract

The records of 28 patients who underwent free jejunal graft reconstruction after resection for cancer involving the pharynx were analysed. Seven patients had a T3 carcinoma, 15 patients T4 and six patients recurrence after laryngectomy. Ten patients had received radiotherapy in the past. Post-operatively, 15 patients (54%) had complications and two patients (7%) died. No significant difference was observed in the complication rate between the group that received radiotherapy in the past and those who did not. Nineteen patients received post-operative radiotherapy. Nine patients had no radiotherapy on the basis of complete resection or because of serious complications. For the whole group the 2-year recurrence free period and survival were 42% and 51% respectively. The post-operative radiotherapy group had a significantly better survival (73%) and recurrence free period (63%) than the group without post-operative radiotherapy (0%). Thus, post-operative radiotherapy seems indicated irrespective of resection margins.