Tumours of the hypopharynx continue to have one of the most dismal prognoses of all tumours of the upper aerodigestive tract. These tumours are frequently advanced at the time of diagnosis. They have a particularly high propensity for lymphatic spread. Treatment, thus appears difficult from the outset. Although therapeutic protocols have improved, their often radical nature is synonymous with poor tolerance. With neoadjuvant chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery, cure has become a possibility for an increasing number of patients. However, sustained long-term remission following chemotherapy alone for advanced hypopharyngeal tumours has seldom been recorded.