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← Hypopharyngeal Cancer

FOR PATIENTS · SOURCE READING

Chemotherapy

Source: Hypopharyngeal Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.

Source updated: February 12, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.

Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.

Context: Treatment Option Overview / The following types of treatment are used:

Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping the cells from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy).

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Chemotherapy may be used to shrink the tumor before surgery or radiation therapy. This is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

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For more information, see Drugs Approved for Head and Neck Cancer. (Hypopharyngeal cancer is a type of head and neck cancer.)

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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice