[Prognosis of hypopharyngeal and esophageal cancers treated with different surgical procedures]

Thirty-nine cases of hypopharyngeal and 21 cases of cervical esophageal carcinomas were resected and different organs and tissues were used for reconstruction. Among them, the stomach was used as substitute for the esophagus in 33 cases the colon in 20, the myocutaneous flap in 4 and the gastric tube in 3. Three-year and 5-year survival rates were 61.2% and 37.9% respectively. Of the post-operative deaths within 5 years, 40.5% was due to local recurrence and 35.1% due to metastasis to cervical lymphnode. In patients who had negative lymphnode findings before operation, positive results were obtained in 42.1% of the cervical lymphnodes and in 27.2% of the tracheoesophageal groove and superior mediastinal lymphnodes resected. Reoperation was performed in 5 cases with local recurrence and 8 cases with cervical lymphnode metastasis and the resectabilities were 40.1% and 37.9% respectively. The authors consider that among these operative procedures, the colonic interposition with pharyngocolonic anastomosis had the following advantages: (1) excellent physiological function; (2) higher successful rate; (3) lower local recurrence incidence; and (4) good living quality.