Radiation Induced Sarcoma of Hypopharynx: A Case Report

Radiation-induced sarcoma in the head and neck is a long term rare complication of radiation therapy. The incidence of these sarcomas is, however, likely to increase due to progressive aging of the population combined with improved survival in head and neck cancer patients resulting from better treatment regimes. Diagnosis and management of this problem can be extremely challenging and the overall prognosis of radiation-induced sarcoma is worse than other types of sarcomas at a similar stage. Because of the proximity to vital structures and multifocality, management can be extremely difficult in many cases. This is the case of post radiation sarcoma of the hypopharynx radiated for supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma previously. Here, we wish to share the diagnosis and management strategy in these types of late complications after radiation.