Pharyngeal Wall Cancer: Patient Characteristics and Treatment Outcome

One-hundred fourteen patients with previously untreated malignant neoplasms of the posterior pharyngeal wall were treated between 1964 and 2000. 89 males and 25 females with a median age of 63.5 years (range 38–91). 68/114 (60%) presented with either T3 or T4 lesions. 61/114 (54%) had nodal involvement. 105/114 (92%) were of squamous cell carcinoma histology. All patients were observed for a minimum of two years. Patients were treated with either definitive radiation therapy (DRT) or a combination of surgery and radiation therapy. The mean dose to the primary target was 66.8 Gy (range 25.2–74.4 Gy) for DRT. Mean dose for combined modality therapy was 40 Gy (range 12–64.8 Gy) for preoperative and 61.2 Gy (range 2–70 Gy) for postoperative radiation therapy. The overall 2 and 5 year survival were 49.6% and 23.5%, respectively. Comparison of the combined modality group with the definitive radiation therapy group revealed significantly improved survival favoring the former group with a P value