Palliative total pharyngo-laryngo-esophagectomy.

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of total pharyngo-laryngo-esophagectomy (TPLE) as a palliative procedure for achieving oral intake without tube placement.

Background: Patients with head and neck cancers require airway maintenance achieved by the placement of a tracheostomy tube and nutrition provided through a gastric fistula or a central vein, which may markedly decrease the quality of life (QOL) of the patients.

Cases: Two patients with cervical esophageal cancer are described. The first patient was a 69-year-old male with cervical esophageal cancer with vertebral invasion, for which complete resection was not possible. Following TPLE, oral intake was initiated on post-operative day 9 and was maintained for 138 days. The second patient was a 73-year-old male with recurrent cervical esophageal cancer and unresectable lymph node metastasis for which lymph node dissection was not applicable. Following TPLE, oral intake was initiated on post-operative day 7 and was maintained for 199 days. Both patients were satisfied with the outcome.

Conclusions: The QOL of the two patients was improved following the restoration of oral intake ability. Palliative TPLE may be appropriate for patients with advanced head and neck cancers.