Lateral pharyngeal approach in surgery for malignant tumors of the posterior wall of the hypopharynx

This study aims to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and clinical application value of the lateral pharyngeal approach for surgical resection of posterior hypopharyngeal wall cancer. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 40 patients who underwent surgical resection of malignant tumors of the posterior hypopharyngeal wall via the lateral pharyngeal approach in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the People's Hospital of Linyi between January 2019 and January 2023. The cohort included 36 males and 4 females, aged 46 to 78 years, with a median age of 63 years. Preoperative TNM staging (T1-T3) was confirmed through electronic laryngoscopy, pathological biopsy, and CT or MRI imaging. Tumor resection was performed entirely via the lateral pharyngeal approach. Pharyngeal cavity defects were repaired by mobilizing the submandibular gland, and postoperative follow-up evaluations recorded swallowing function, respiratory function, complications, and recurrence. After a follow-up period of 12 to 48 months, with an average follow-up of 28 months, 40 patients successfully had their tubes removed. Their swallowing and breathing functions were good, and they were able to eat and breathe normally. Up to now, there was no serious complications such as pharyngocutaneous fistula, bleeding, wound infection, tumor recurrence, and death. The lateral pharyngeal approach for resecting posterior hypopharyngeal wall cancer enables complete tumor excision with minimal trauma, limited tissue loss, and a low complication rate. These outstanding results were obtained in a highly selected T1-T3 cohort treated by a single surgical team; they should be regarded as promising preliminary findings that mandate validation through larger, multi-center prospective studies before the technique is widely adopted.