The hypopharynx is the bottom part of the throat. The pharynx is a hollow tube about 5 inches long that starts behind the nose and goes down to the neck to become part of the esophagus, the tube that goes to the stomach. Cancer of the hypopharynx most commonly starts in the cells that line the hypopharynx, called squamous cells. A doctor should be seen if a person has a sore throat that does not go away, trouble swallowing, a lump in the neck, a change in voice, or ear pain. How Cancer of the Hypopharynx is Treated There are treatments for all patients with cancer of the hypopharynx.
Surgery is a common treatment of cancer of the hypopharynx.
A doctor may remove part of the throat and a portion or all of the larynx in an operation called a laryngopharyngectomy. If smoking is stopped before radiation therapy is started, a patient has a better chance of surviving longer. Surgeons of radiation therapy at The James have developed a team approach using both surgery and specialized irradiation given during the surgery of some of these cancers. External radiation to the thyroid or the pituitary gland may change the way the thyroid gland works. The doctor may wish to test the thyroid gland before and after therapy to make sure it is working properly.