Retrospective and prospective study of head and neck cancer

A prospective clinico pathological study of Head and Neck Cancer cases presenting in E.N.T. OPD was done and its observations were compared with retrospective studies done earlier by Gupta et al (1986), It was seen that carcinoma laryngopharynx was the commonest (38.18%) malignancy seen in the present study followed by carcinoma of Larynx (16.36%) and Oesophagus (14.54%). Carcinoma of the nasopharynx was seen in 12.72% cases followed by carcinoma oropharynx (10.91%), Histopathologically; 98.18% cases were of squamous cell carcinomas and out of these only 31.48% were well differentiated carcinoma. There was only 1 case (1.81%) of occult primary. In the retrospective study, the incidence of cancer of Laryngopharynx was 33.33% followed by oropharynx 16.66% and Larynx and Lymphoma (11.11%) each. Occult primary was observed in 3 cases (5.33%) and carcinoma naspoharynx in 4 cases (4.44%). Poor socioeconomic status, bad orodental hygiene, Plummer-vinson syndrome in females were the commonest predisposing factors in addition to smoking, Pan Masala, Zarda and Gutka chewing in the causation of Head and Neck cancer both in prospective and retrospective studies.