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Hypopharyngeal Cancer Treatments
Treatment for hypopharyngeal cancer depends on several factors, including the cancer's stage and your general health. Our throat cancer experts carefully evaluate your situation and present different treatment options so you can make an informed decision.
- Specialized expertise in treating hypopharyngeal cancer—even the most complex cases.
- Advanced treatment options, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination of these methods.
- A team of board-certified doctors, including head and neck surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, and ENTs (ear, nose, and throat doctors) collaborating on your care.
- Clinical trials that offer early access to breakthrough therapies not available at other cancer centers.
- ComprehensiveÌýCancer Care Services to serve your physical, mental, spiritual, and social needs.
- Convenient access to therapies and treatment services throughout the Bay Area.
Connect to Care
Let us help find personalized care options forÌýyou and your family.
Interested in an Online Second Opinion?
The Stanford Medicine Online Second Opinion program offers you easy access to our world-class doctors. It’s all done remotely, and you don’t have to visit our hospital or one of our clinics for this service. You don’t even need to leave home!
Visit our online second opinion page to learn more.
At ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½, we offer the latest advancements for treating hypopharyngeal cancer. Treatment plans may include one or more of the following:
Your head and neck surgeon's goal is to remove the cancerous tumor while keeping the throat structures intact and as functional as possible. You may need one or more procedures depending on how far the cancer has spread. Types of surgery for hypopharyngeal cancer may include:
- Endoscopic surgery: A noninvasive (no incisions) procedure that uses specialized tools at the end of an endoscope to remove early-stage cancer
- Pharyngectomy: Surgery to remove part or all of the pharynx (throat)
- Hypopharyngectomy: A type of pharyngectomy that removes part or all of the hypopharynx
- Laryngectomy: Removal of part or all of the larynx (voice box)
- Esophagectomy: Surgery to remove part or all of the esophagus
- Reconstructive surgery:ÌýSurgery that rebuilds portions of the throat to improve functions such as speaking and swallowing
- Neck dissection: Surgery to remove lymph nodes that may contain cancer
- Thyroidectomy: Removal of all or part of the thyroid gland
- Transoral robotic surgery: A noninvasive procedure in which your doctor accesses the throat through the mouth and uses a computer system to guide the surgical tools’ precise movements
- Laser surgery: A surgical procedure that uses a laser beam (narrow beam of intense light) as a knife to make bloodless cuts in tissue or to remove a surface lesion such as a tumor
Medicine that you take by mouth, injection, or infusion could be a part of your treatment plan. Your team may use drugs alone or with other therapies, such as surgery and radiation.
Our cancer doctors use a wide range of cancer medications, including:
- Chemotherapy: These medications slow or stop cancer cells from growing. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ may use chemoradiation, a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.
- Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy medications help your body's immune system find and destroy cancer cells.
- Targeted therapy: These drugs target and attack specific molecules on cancer cells, which helps slow cancer's growth.
Chemoradiation is a combination of chemotherapy medications and radiation treatments. Chemotherapy drugs can make cancer cells more sensitive to radiation. Taking these medications while receiving radiation can make radiation treatments more effective.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays or other types of radiation to destroy or shrink cancer cells. Radiation oncologists aim radiation beams directly at tumors, treating them while avoiding damage to nearby healthy tissues.
External radiation (external beam therapy) uses machines outside the body. Types of external radiation therapy for hypopharyngeal cancer include:
- 3D conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT): Using 3D pictures, radiation oncologists aim radiation beams from different angles to conform treatment to the tumor's size and shape.
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT): This therapy lets doctors change the radiation amount from each beam for customized treatment.
- Stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR): Also known as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), this treatment delivers intense radiation doses over several days.
Clinical Trials for Hypopharyngeal Cancer
Clinical trials are ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ patient, you may have access to the latest through the Stanford Cancer Institute.
Open trials refer to studies that are currently recruiting participants or that may recruit participants soon. Closed trials are not currently enrolling additional patients.
To schedule an appointment, please call: 650-498-6000