The lymph nodes in the area may or may not contain cancer. The cancer is in the hypopharynx or has spread to the tissues around the hypopharynx. The cancer has spread to other parts of the body. It may come back in the hypopharynx or in another part of the body. Treatment Option Overview 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 the larynx and part of the throat in an operation called a laryngopharyngectomy. If smoking is stopped before radiation therapy is started, a patient has a better chance of surviving longer. 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. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.