Transoral organ-preserving pharyngeal endoscopic resection is effective in the treatment of superficial pharyngeal cancer, according to a study in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (June 27, 2011).
Researchers from Kyoto University designed a retrospective, two-center cohort study that included 104 patients with superficial pharyngeal cancer. They performed the procedure on patients under general anesthesia, and then measured its safety, long-term survival, and clinical outcome.
Here are some of the key results:
- A total of 148 consecutive lesions were resected in 104 patients, with no severe adverse events.
- Ninety-six patients (92%) had no local recurrence or distant metastases.
- With a median follow-up period of 43 months (range 3-96 months), the overall survival rate at five years was 71%.
- The pharynx was preserved in all patients, and they experienced no loss of function.
"Peroral endoscopic resection of superficial pharyngeal cancer is a feasible and effective treatment with curative intent," the authors concluded.
