Proportions, five-year survival rates of hypopharyngeal cancer and its associated factors among head and neck cancer patients at a tertiary care hospital in Northern Tanzania
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20260782Keywords:
Hypopharyngeal cancer, Five-year survival, Survival rate, Proportion, Associated factors, Head and neck cancersAbstract
Background: Hypopharyngeal cancer is a rare, aggressive form of cancer of the hypopharynx. It is one of the public health problems with a high burden in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite the advancement in cancer management, mortality associated with cancer continues to rise mostly in LMICs like Tanzania. Yet, the contribution of hypopharyngeal cancer to the observed outcome is not known.
Methods: A hospital based cohort study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in northern Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC), from January 2015 to December 2019. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to determine the survival rate. Cox regression analysis assessed factors associated with survival status. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: A total of 1,259 participants with head and neck cancer were included in this study. Among them, 97 (7.7%) had hypopharyngeal cancer. Participants with hypopharyngeal cancer were followed for five years. The median survival time was 32.0 months at the end of follow-up, and 45 (46.4%) participants had died. Participants with stage IV cancer had a 3.82 times higher hazard of mortality compared to those with stage II. Additionally, those with distant metastasis had a 9.90 times higher hazard of death.
Conclusions: The study reported a poor survival rate with a five-year mortality rate of 46.4%. Participants with cancer at stage IV, and those with the presence of distant metastasis, had a higher hazard of mortality compared to their counterparts.
Metrics
References
Garneau JC, Bakst RL, Miles BA. Hypopharyngeal cancer: A state of the art review. Oral Oncol. 2018;86:244-50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oraloncology.2018.09.025
Bray F, Laversanne M, Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, Soerjomataram I, et al. Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;74(3):229-63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21834
Melariri H, Els T, Oyedele O, Suttle TK, Bermosky KT, De Freitas A, et al. Prevalence of locoregional recurrence and survival post-treatment of head and neck cancers in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. EClinicalMedicine. 2023;1:59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101964
Yan K, Agrawal N, Gooi Z. Head and Neck Masses. Med Clin North Am. 2018;102(6):1013-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2018.06.012
Lim GC, Holsinger FC, Li RJ. Transoral Endoscopic Head and Neck Surgery: The Contemporary Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2015;29(6):1075-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hoc.2015.08.001
Huang Y, Liang Y, Zhao W. Hypopharyngeal Cancer: Staging, Diagnosis, and Therapy. In: Pharynx - Diagnosis and Treatment. IntechOpen. 2021. Available at: https://www.intechopen. com/books/pharynx-diagnosis-and-treatment/hypo pharyngeal-cancer-staging-diagnosis-and-therapy. Accessed on 12 January 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97462
Bassene ML, Diallo S, Thioubou MA, Gueye MN, Fall MP, Dia D, et al. Plummer-Vinson Syndrome and Esophageal Cancer in an Endoscopy Center of Dakar. Open J Gastroenterol. 2017;07(08):217-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ojgas.2017.78023
Zeng J, Tang Y, Wu P, Fang X, Wang W, Fan Y, et al. Alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, betel quid chewing and oral health associations with hypopharyngeal cancer among men in central south China: A case–control study. Cancer Manag Res. 2019;11:6353-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/CMAR.S203439
Marshall DC, Kao DD, Bakst R, Sharma S, Ferrandino R, Rosenzweig K, et al. Prognostic role of human papilloma virus status in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2020;5(5):860-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lio2.443
Bozec A, Poissonnet G, Dassonville O, Culié D. Current Therapeutic Strategies for Patients with Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma: Oncologic and Functional Outcomes. J Clin Med. 2023;12(3):1237. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12031237
Sanders OPS. Hypopharyngeal Cancer. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. 2024.
Mousavi SE, Ilaghi M, Mirzazadeh Y, Mosavi Jarrahi A, Nejadghaderi SA. Global epidemiology and socioeconomic correlates of hypopharyngeal cancer in 2020 and its projection to 2040: findings from GLOBOCAN 2020. Front Oncol. 2024;2:14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2024.1398063
Lee YCA, Hashibe M. Tobacco, alcohol, and cancer in low and high income countries. Volume 80. Annals of Global Health. Elsevier USA. 2014;378-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aogh.2014.09.010
Shunyu NB, Syiemlieh J. Prevalence of Head and Neck Cancer in the State of Meghalaya: Hospital-based Study. Int J Head Neck Surg. 2013;4(1):1-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10001-1127
Bagal S, Budukh A, Thakur JS, Dora T, Qayyumi B, Khanna D, et al. Head and neck cancer burden in India: an analysis from published data of 37 population-based cancer registries. Ecancermedicalscience. 2023;1:17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2023.1603
Sowunmi AC, Ketiku KK, Popoola AO, Alabi AO, Fatiregun OA, Asoegwu N, et al. Pattern of Head and Neck Cancer in a Tertiary Institution in Lagos Nigeria. IOSR J Dent Med Sci. 2015;14(12):78-82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2015.33.15_suppl.e17052
Okwor VC, Fagbamigbe AF, Fawole OI. Survivorship of patients with head and neck cancer receiving care in a tertiary health facility in Nigeria. Volume 9. Cancer Management and Research. Dove Medical Press Ltd. 2017;331-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/CMAR.S133108
Makino W, Heianna J, Ishikawa K, Kusada T, Maemoto H, Ariga T, et al. Patterns of recurrence after low-dose postoperative radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. J Egypt Natl Canc Inst. 2021;33(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s43046-021-00098-w
Huang A, Wu X liang, Song J, Wang YT, Yao Y, Liu Z, et al. Global trend and risk factors of the disease burden for pharynx and larynx cancers between 1990 and 2019: a systematic analysis of the global burden of disease study 2019. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14654-z
Cordunianu AGV, Ganea G, Cordunianu MA, Cochior D, Moldovan CA, Adam R. Hypopharyngeal cancer trends in a high-incidence region: A retrospective tertiary single center study. World J Clin Cases. 2023;11(24):5666-77. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v11.i24.5666
Kang JW, Cheong HK, Kim S Il, Lee MK, Lee YC, Oh IH, et al. Association between Metabolic Syndrome and Risk of Hypopharyngeal Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort Study from Korea. Cancers (Basel). 2023;15(18):4454. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15184454
Hong H, Wang Q, Li J, Liu H, Meng X, Zhang H. Aging, Cancer and Immunity. J Cancer. 2019;10(13):3021-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7150/jca.30723
Pai SY, Lurain K, Yarchoan R. How immunodeficiency can lead to malignancy. Hematology. 2021;2021(1):287-95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/hematology.2021000261
Chang MF, Wang HM, Kang CJ, Huang SF, Lin CY, Fang KH, et al. Treatment results for hypopharyngeal cancer by different treatment strategies and its secondary primary- an experience in Taiwan. Radiation Oncol. 2010;5(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-717X-5-91
Krishnatreya M, Kataki AC, Sharma JD, Baishya N, Rahman T, Bhattcharyya M, et al. A Survival Analysis of Hypopharyngeal Cancer Patients: A Hospital-Cancer registry Based Study. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019;71:798-804. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-018-1556-4
Jakobsen KK, Wingstrand VL, Jensen JS, Grønhøj C, Jensen DH, Karnov K, et al. Incidence and survival of hypopharyngeal cancer: a Danish Nation-Wide Study from 1980 to 2014. Acta Oncol (Madr). 2019;58(11):1570-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0284186X.2019.1657585
Tawfik GM, Vuong NL, Zayan AH, Abdelaal A, Tieu TM, Sang TK, et al. Prognostic factors impacting survival rates of hypopharyngeal cancer with nomogram prediction: a SEER-based study. Egyptian J Otolaryngol. 2022;38(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s43163-022-00215-z
Petersen JF, Timmermans AJ, van Dijk BAC, Overbeek LIH, Smit LA, Hilgers FJM, et al. Trends in treatment, incidence and survival of hypopharynx cancer: a 20-year population-based study in the Netherlands. Eur Arch Oto-Rhino-Laryngol. 2018;275(1):181-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-017-4766-6
Milisavljevic D, Stankovic M, Zivic M, Popovic M, Radovanović Z. Factors affecting results of treatment of Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma. Hippokratia. 2009;13(3):154-60.
Escalante D, Hohman MH, Sanders O, Pathak S. Hypopharyngeal Cancer. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. 2025.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
