Squamous cell carcinoma of the posterior pharyngeal wall: A comparative analysis of oropharyngeal origin versus hypopharyngeal origin.

Abstract

Background: The posterior pharyngeal wall is an anatomical subsite of both the oropharynx and hypopharynx. The treatment outcomes of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of these sites are generally published together, which makes the interpretation of data challenging. The aim of this analysis was to determine if there is any difference in the treatment outcomes of these two rare disease entities.

Materials and methods: Retrospetive analysis showed that the posterior pharyngeal wall was the primary subsite in 17 patients (1.65 per cent) out of 1031 patients with oropharyngeal SCC, and in 23 patients (11.73 per cent) out of 196 patients with hypopharyngeal SCC.

Results: The five-year overall survival was 45 per cent for oropharyngeal origin and 53 per cent for hypopharyngeal origin patients. There was no significant difference in survival and locoregional control between these two groups of patients.

Conclusion: Squamous cell carcinoma of the posterior pharyngeal wall is a rare entity, which in our series represents 1.65 per cent of oropharyngeal cases and 11.73 per cent of hypopharyngeal tumours. There was no difference in treatment outcomes between the two groups.