Surgical management of posterior pharyngeal wall carcinomas: Functional and oncologic results

Treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the posterior pharyngeal wall: Radiotherapy versus surgery

“…The present report is one of the largest series of posterior pharyngeal wall cancer. The 5‐year OS in our patient population (33.4%) is comparable to published data, which range from 30% to 41.2% (Table ), as is locoregional control (61.6% % in our series, and about 60% in the literature) . T classification was one of the most important prognostic factors in our series, not only for locoregional control, but also for OS, and this has also been confirmed in other studies.…”

“…Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment techniques, the treatment outcome of this subsite of head and neck cancer remains relatively poor compared with cancers of other head and neck subsites . Most patients are initially diagnosed with advanced disease (70% of patients with T3–T4 disease in our study) because of the absence of symptoms at an early stage and the richness of submucosal lymphatics in the posterior pharyngeal wall.…”

“…In general, the decision to perform primary RT or surgery depends on anatomic extension of the primary tumor, tumor size, regional lymph node status, and patient's general status. The criteria used to decide the surgical approach have been described in our previous study . A lateral pharyngotomy or transoral surgery, with direct closure or reconstruction with myocutaneous or free forearm flaps, was used for conservative surgery in which the larynx was spared; whereas the radical surgery procedure involved a circumferential pharyngolaryngectomy.…”

Oncologic results of transoral laser microsurgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the posterior pharyngeal wall

“…Local control rates achieved with open surgery mainly in combination with adjuvant treatment range between 11% and 50%, and 5‐year overall survival rates between 21% and 48% . However, in most publications, carcinomas of the entire pharynx and all stages are discussed together, making a comparison impossible.…”

Oropharyngeal cancer

“…Also, the majority of lesions on the posterior pharyngeal wall are treated by radiotherapy or combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as the reported cure rates are similar to those of surgery alone or combined surgery and radiotherapy [7]. Nevertheless, as surgical reconstruction methods improve, resection with postoperative radiotherapy can be considered in selected cases [8]. …”