[Efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in cases with cervical lymph node metastasis from oropharyngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer].

We reported the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy(CCRT)for cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with oropharyngeal or hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The subjects were 17 patients with oropharyngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer with cervical lymph node metastasis, who underwent CCRT treatment between January 2005 and December 2009. The proportion of patients showing a complete response(CR)was 64. 7%; however, if patients without any residual viable cancer cells in the specimens obtained by neck dissection were also defined as CR, then, 82. 4% achieved CR. Thus, CCRT showed good efficacy without the need for planned neck dissection(PND). The limited recurrence cases and absence of serious complications associated with neck dissection after CCRT suggested that PND is not necessarily required. However, since assessment of cervical lymph nodes after CCRT is difficult, it would be desirable to develop a reliable examination and to study the most suitable examination for detecting the presence/absence of cervical lymph node metastasis.