TREATMENT in pharyngeal cancer.

Abstract

The term pharyngeal cancer broadly considered may be used to include all malignant growths arising between the nasopharynx above and the piriform sinus below. These tumors may be classified from the standpoint of their origin in the following anatomic structures: nasopharynx, soft palate, palatine tonsil, base of the tongue (valleculae), extrinsic part of the larynx (epiglottis, aryepiglottic folds, arytenoid), pharyngeal wall (lateral or posterior) and piriform sinus. In cases of early involvement it usually is possible for one to make use of a specific anatomic classification, but in many instances a growth has arisen at the junction of two or more anatomic parts, or in its later stages the disease has extended and involved several structures, so as to preclude any specific anatomic classification. For instance, it often is impossible to decide whether a growth should be classified as arising in the tonsil or in the soft palate, since both