Carcinoma arising from pharyngeal diverticula

Background. Pharyngeal diverticulum or Zenker's diverticulum carcinoma is a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis. Carcinoma arising in a recurrent pharyngeal diverticulum is even rarer, with only 1 such case reported in the English-language literature. We report 2 patients with pharyngeal diverticulum carcinoma exhibiting an unusual presentation and good long-term, disease-free survival with normal speech and swallowing. Methods. A 70-year-old man with a carcinoma in a recurrent pharyngeal diverticulum excised 20 years previously and a 65-year-old man with a neck mass as the only presentation of pharyngeal diverticulum carcinoma. Results. Our patients were treated with open resection, laryngeal preservation, and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT), resulting in long-term tumor control and disease-free survival of 5 and 15 years (longest reported), respectively. Conclusion. One-stage diverticulectomy with or without radiotherapy is the treatment of choice and can provide long-term control and survival. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011