Transoral robotic surgery for squamous cell carcinomas of the posterior pharyngeal wall.

Fiche publication


Date publication

décembre 2017

Journal

European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Auteurs

Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr DOLIVET Gilles


Tous les auteurs :
Lallemant B, Moriniere S, Ceruse P, Lebalch M, Aubry K, Hans S, Dolivet G, Malard O, Bonduelle Q, Vergez S

Résumé

Posterior pharyngeal wall squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are rare and have an associated poor prognosis. Progress in transoral resection techniques, in particular, transoral robotic surgery (TORS), have renewed the role of surgery in their treatment. This article presents the oncological and functional results obtained by the French Group of Head and Neck Robotic Surgery for TORS for posterior pharyngeal wall SCC-curative surgery. This retrospective, multicentre study presents data collected between September 2009 and November 2013 for patients treated with TORS for posterior pharyngeal wall SCCs. Analysis of patient characteristics, tumour and treatment details were completed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate overall survival rates and recurrence-free survival rates. Student's t test and Chi test were also calculated. 23 patients were included (mean age of 62 years). 12 patients had a prior HNSCC. Ten patients had pT1 cancers. The overall two-year survival rate was 59%, but 89% for pT1 compared to 28% for pT2-T3 (p = 0.01). It was noted that TORS was simple to perform, but generated significant post-operative dysphagia. Two cases of spondylodiscitis were reported as specific post-operative complications of TORS. In conclusion, TORS is a treatment solution for selected posterior pharyngeal wall SCCs. It provides a possible alternative to medical treatment for early pT1 lesions and is often the only remaining curative solution in patients previously treated with radiotherapy. In cases of bulky resection, or when there is a past medical history of radiotherapy, a tissue reconstruction by forearm free-flap may be indicated.

Mots clés

Head and neck cancer, Pharyngeal cancer, Posterior pharyngeal wall, Squamous cell carcinoma, Transoral robotic surgery

Référence

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2017 Dec;274(12):4211-4216