[A study of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer of pyriform sinuses].

We present a retrospective study of 49 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the pyriform sinus treated with induction chemotherapy (group I) and compared with 103 cases that did not received this treatment (group II). Thirty four patients were treated with combined cis-platinum and 5-fluoracil. Local and regional control and distant metastasis were analyzed, and no differences between the two groups were found. Five-year global actuarial survival rates were 23% in group I, and 35% in group II (p = no significant). In group I, those cases that responded to chemotherapy had a better 4-year survival rate (33%) than those who did not (7%) (p < 0.1). When patients who underwent radical radiotherapy were analyzed, a better 5-year survival rate was found in group I (41%) versus group II (13%) (p < 0.05).