title: [Clinical study of 39 cases of inferior postcricoid carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There were many treatment strategies for inferior postcricoid carcinoma; however, the total survival rates were not so good till now. This study was designed to investigate the effective method for treatment of inferior postcricoid carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine cases of inferior postcricoid carcinoma from 1970 to 1997 in Department of Head and Neck, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University were surveyed. The treatment modalities were classified into two groups: simple radiotherapy and multimodality (surgery operation plus postoperational radiotherapy). The 3-year and 5-year survival rates of the two groups were analyzed. The different local lymph nodes metastasis was explored at the same time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both the 3-year and 5-year survival rates of the simple radiotherapy group (35.2% and 17.6%) were lower than another group (59.1% and 45.5%) with significant difference (P< 0.05). Of 39 follow-up patients, 18 were found with neck lymph node metastasis. Contralateral or (and) bilateral lymph node metastasis were found in 72.7%(13/18) of the patients with neck lymph node metastasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multimodality is an effective method for inferior postcricoid carcinoma. It will increase the survival rate of the inferior postcricoid carcinoma by paying more attention to contralateral or (and) bilateral lymph node metastasis and dealing with it actively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wen-Kuan
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zong-Yuan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Mao-Wen
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008198:Lymph Nodes; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D009333:Neck; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome