Hypoparathyroidism after the treatment of laryngopharyngeal carcinoma

Thirty patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the laryngopharynx were treated with surgery (total laryngectomy and hemithyroidectomy) and radiotherapy. Group 1 (n = 7) patients had surgery only; Group 2 (n = 7) had radiotherapy followed by salvage surgery while Group 3 (n = 16) had surgery followed by radiotherapy. Parathyroid hormone and calcium levels were measured pre- and post-operatively and pdstradiotherapy. In Group 1 no patients were hypoparathyroid. In Group 2, 29 per cent of patients preoperatively and 57 per cent post-operatively, were hypoparathyroid. In Group 3, no patients were hypoparathyroid pre-operatively, while 25 per cent were hypoparathyroid post-operatively and postradiotherapy. Parathyroid honnone and calcium levels were averaged and compared within and between each group. There was no significant difference within each group, when comparing levels postoperatively and post-radiotherapy from those of pre-operatively. There was no significant difference in levels between each of Groups 1, 2 or 3 (p>0.05).