[Synovial sarcoma of the hypopharynx - two case reports].
BACKGROUND
Synovial sarcoma is a rare soft tissue malignancy that most often occurs in the extremities of young adults. Approximately 3 % of these mesenchymal malignant tumors occur in the head and neck region. Up to now about 100 cases have been published.


METHODS
We report on two cases of a synovial sarcoma of the hypopharynx. In the first case the patient died 3.5 years after beginning of therapy including all therapeutical efforts (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy). The second patient with a synovial sarcoma of his left hypopharynx and a distant metastasis in his 8th thoracic vertebral body is actually treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy and included into a clinical study to optimize therapy of advanced soft tissue sarcomas. Further surgical treatment depends on the success of this therapeutic approach.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite multitherapeutic approaches over all 5-year survival rates for advanced synovial sarcomas of the head and neck have moderately improved in the recent decades and an ideal treatment has not yet surfaced. Modification of accepted treatment modalities is discussed and therapy options in controlled clinical studies are described.
Reichel
O
O
Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. entdoc@gmx.net
Blasenbreu-Vogt
S
S
Suckfüll
M
M
Naumann
A
A
Leunig
A
A
D000328:Adult; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D007013:Hypopharynx / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D013584:Sarcoma, Synovial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors