Primary radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the pyriform sinus

Abstract

The objective of this study is to report the long-term outcomes of primary radiotherapy (RT) for patients with T1-T2 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the pyriform sinus. Between November 1964 and March 2008, 135 patients with T1-T2 pyriform sinus SCC were treated with primary RT at the University of Florida. Adjuvant chemotherapy was employed in 21 patients (16%) and 62 patients (46%) underwent a planned neck dissection. Median follow-up was 3.5years (range 0.2-24.7years); median follow-up on living patients was 8.3years (range 3.8-24.0years). The 5-year outcomes were as follows: local control, 85%; regional control, 81%; local-regional control, 71%; distant metastasis-free survival, 76%; cause-specific survival, 62%; and overall survival, 38%. The 5-year local control rate was 88% for T1 cancers and 84% for those with T2 SCCs (p=0.5429). Sixteen patients (12%) experienced severe late complications. Primary RT results in a high probability of cure with a relatively modest risk of severe late complications for patients with T1-T2 SCCs of the pyriform sinus.