title: Thyroid gland involvement in carcinoma of the hypopharynx.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The thyroid gland is removed en bloc during laryngectomy. There are no objective criteria for deciding the extent of thyroid gland resection in primary hypopharyngeal cancer cases. The present study aimed to determine the incidence of thyroid gland involvement in hypopharyngeal cancer and identify the various predictors of this involvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper reports a retrospective analysis of 358 patients with hypopharyngeal cancer, who underwent total laryngectomy with partial or total pharyngectomy at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai between 2004 and 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of this population was 61 years. The pyriform sinus was the most common hypopharyngeal subsite involved (in 89 per cent of cases). Most patients underwent hemi-thyroidectomy as part of their surgery. The thyroid gland was involved in only 13 per cent of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thyroid gland involvement is not common in hypopharyngeal cancer. Cases that involved the post-cricoid area, subglottic extension, extralaryngeal spread or prior tracheostomy were associated with a higher risk of thyroid gland involvement. Ipsilateral thyroidectomy is sufficient in most patients undergoing surgery (laryngectomy with partial or total pharyngectomy) for hypopharyngeal cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chaturvedi
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shivakumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: D'Cruz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010611:Pharyngectomy / Q000379:methods; D056144:Pyriform Sinus / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult