title: Incurable recurrences in patients with oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Carcinomas of the oropharyngeal and hypopharynx are difficult to treat because of their aggressive tendency to metastasize and their high recurrence rate.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of 79 patients with recurrences of oropharyngeal or hypopharyngeal carcinomas was performed. The courses of disease from recurrence diagnosis to the valuation date or death were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median survival for patients classified as incurable at recurrence diagnosis amounted to 8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5-10 months), patients initially classified as curable at the time of recurrence diagnosis survived an estimated 12 months (95% CI, 8-22 months). No significant differences regarding the survival after diagnosed recurrence could be observed depending on the tumor location or tumor stage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The knowledge about the courses of disease and especially the remaining lifetime after diagnosed incurability could facilitate the planning of the remaining lifetime in order to achieve the best possible quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wiegand
authors.forename: Annette P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Hans-Helge
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Jochen A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: Andreas M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sesterhenn
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: hypopharynx; incurable; oropharynx; palliative; recurrence