[Comparison of natural history of squamous cell carcinoma and nondifferentiated carcinoma localized in oro- and nasopharynx].

Aim of this study is comparison of natural history between two subtypes of cancer: squamous and undifferentiated, which were localised in oro- and nasopharynx. Analysis has contained 175 patients with undifferentiatied and 510 patients with squamous cell cancers of oro- and nasopharynx, who were treated in Centre of Oncology--Institute branch Gliwice in 1980-1998. Presence of undiferentiated subtypes were bounded with shortening time of presence the symptoms of disease, most frequent exophytic type of infiltration than in squamous cancer with ulcerative--necrotic type of infiltration. Higher aggressiveness of undifferentiated cancer is based on higher frequency of distant and nodal metastases, metastases to contralateral nodes and higher percentage of conglomerates.