Surgical Treatment Of Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma

The hypopharynx is that portion of the pharynx that extends from the plane of the epiglottis point superiorly to the plane of the lower border of the cricoid cartilage inferiorly. It is partitioned into three distinct sites: the piriform sinuses, the postcricoid area, and the posterior and lateral pharyngeal walls. The malignant tumor arising from the laryngeal pharynx is called hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Hypopharyngeal carcinoma is most frequently presented in piriform sinuses, and 95 % squamous cell carcinoma. As a part of upper gastrointestinal tract, it is difficult for hypopharyngeal carcinoma to be observed in early stage until dysphagia or neck metastases presented, so hypopharyngeal cancer tends to present with advanced disease. The 5-year survival rate is less than 30%, so hypopharyngeal carcinma has a poor prognosis. So far, combined surgery and radiotherapy has been considered as the comprehensive treatment modality for patients with hypopharyngeal cancer, and surgery resectability is always the first choice. Larynx is adjacent to hypopharynx, and usually involved in early stage. In the past years, we ignore the pronunciation function and the qulity of postoperative life of patient .Today the larynx-preserving surgery is becoming the focus point, and still being a challenge to otorhinolaryngologists. In this paper, we review the clinical manifestation, the indication for larynx-preserving surgery, surgery and hypopharynx reconstruction of hypopharyngeal carcinoma.