The Role of Open Conservation Surgery in the Era of Minimally Invasive Surgery for Hypopharyngeal Cancer

Background and Objectives: Total laryngectomy with partial pharyngectomy is traditionally the principal curative treatment for hypopharyngeal cancer; however, conservative surgical approaches that minimize functional disability are attracting increasing interest. Thus, we evaluated the appropriateness and oncological outcomes of open conservation surgery for such patients. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 49 patients who underwent vertical hemipharyngolaryngectomy from 1998 to 2018 at a single institution. Results: Locoregional recurrences developed in 19 patients (38.8%) and distant metastases in 6 (12.2%). Histopathologically, paraglottic space invasion was apparent in 13 patients (26.5%), pre-epiglottic space invasion in 4 (8.2%), thyroid cartilage invasion in 9 (18.4%), thyroid gland invasion in 2, perineural invasion in 11 (22.4%), and lymphovascular invasion in 35 (71.4%). The 5-year overall survival of patients who underwent open conservation surgery was comparable to that of patients who underwent total laryngectomy with partial pharyngectomy (68.7% vs. 48.4%, p = 0.14). Pre-epiglottic space invasion significantly decreased the 5-year disease-free survival rate after open conservation surgery (69.7% vs. 17.9%, p = 0.01). Conclusions: We found that pre-epiglottic space invasion negatively impacted disease control after open conservation surgery, emphasizing the crucial role played by a preoperative evaluation during patient selection.