Hypopharyngeal carcinoma
disease diseaseOn this page
Also known as cancer of hypopharynxcancer of the hypopharynxcarcinoma of hypopharynxcarcinoma of the hypopharynxhypopharyngeal cancerhypopharyngeal throat cancerhypopharynx carcinoma
Summary
Hypopharyngeal carcinoma (MONDO:0005216) is a cancer with 1 GWAS associations across 2 studies and 62 clinical trials. Top therapeutic interventions include cetuximab, atezolizumab, and cabozantinib. A subtype of head and neck carcinoma — broader associated-gene and molecular evidence is on the parent page (see Disease family below).
At a glance
- Classification: Cancer
- GWAS associations: 1
- Clinical trials: 62
Clinical features
No curated clinical features (Orphanet) for this disease.
Identifiers
Disease identifiers
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Canonical name | hypopharyngeal carcinoma |
| Mondo ID | MONDO:0005216 |
| EFO | EFO:0002938 |
| NCIT | C9465 |
| UMLS | C1368404 |
| MedGen | 237150 |
| GARD | 0027718 |
| Anatomy (UBERON) | UBERON:0001051 |
| Is cancer (heuristic) | yes |
Also known as: cancer of hypopharynx · cancer of the hypopharynx · carcinoma of hypopharynx · carcinoma of the hypopharynx · hypopharyngeal cancer · hypopharyngeal carcinoma · hypopharyngeal throat cancer · hypopharynx carcinoma
Data availability: 1 GWAS association (2 studies).
Disease family
This is a subtype of head and neck carcinoma. Genetic, therapeutic, and trial evidence is largely curated at the broader-term level — see the parent page for the associated-gene cohort and molecular evidence.
Classification path: disease › human disease › disease by etiologic mechanism › cancer or benign tumor › neoplastic disease or syndrome › neoplasm › cancer › carcinoma › head and neck carcinoma › hypopharyngeal carcinoma
Related subtypes (15): eye carcinoma, external ear carcinoma, middle ear carcinoma, nasal cavity carcinoma, growth hormone-producing pituitary gland carcinoma, ameloblastic carcinoma, laryngeal small cell carcinoma, pharyngeal adenoid cystic carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, pituitary adenocarcinoma, carcinoma of floor of mouth, lip and oral cavity carcinoma, oropharyngeal carcinoma, nasal cavity and paranasal sinus carcinoma
Subtypes (3): epiglottis cancer, carcinoma in situ of hypopharynx, hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma
Genetics & variants
GWAS landscape
1 GWAS associations across 2 studies. Top hits map to 1 distinct genes (as reported by GWAS).
Top associations by p-value
| rsID | p-value | Gene | Risk allele | Odds ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rs1229984 | 2e-31 | ADH1B | ? |
Top studies (by case count)
| Study | Lead author | Year | Cases | Controls | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCST90651165 | Liu TY | 2025 | 417 | 231,112 | Diversity and longitudinal records: Genetic architecture of disease associations and polygenic risk in the Taiwanese Han population. |
| GCST90481482 | Verma A | 2024 | 378 | 450,839 | Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program. |
Variant details and genetic-evidence tiers
Tier distribution (top 50 variants)
| Tier | Variants |
|---|---|
| Tier 1: coding | 1 |
| Tier 2: splice/UTR | 0 |
| Tier 3: regulatory | 0 |
| Tier 4: intronic/intergenic | 0 |
MAF distribution
| Bucket | Variants |
|---|---|
| common (>=0.05) | 1 |
| low_freq (0.01-0.05) | 0 |
| rare (<0.01) | 0 |
| unknown | 0 |
Functional consequences
| Consequence | Count |
|---|---|
| missense_variant | 1 |
Top variants
| rsID | Chr | Pos | Alleles | MAF | Consequence | Gene | p-value | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rs1229984 | 4 | 99318162 | T>A,C,G | 0.05 | missense_variant | ADH1B | 2e-31 | Tier 1: coding |
Genes & proteins
No associated-gene cohort resolved for this disease. Atlas builds the molecular and therapeutic sections — associated genes, protein families, druggability, pathways, interactions, and drug associations — by aggregating over a disease’s associated genes (resolved via GWAS / GenCC / ClinVar / CIViC), and none resolved here. This is expected for antibody-mediated, autoimmune, or otherwise non-gene-defined conditions; the curated evidence for this disease is its clinical features, GWAS susceptibility, and clinical trials (above).
Function
No pathway enrichment — requires an associated-gene cohort.
Therapeutics
Drugs indicated or in trials for this disease
2 approved drugs — disease-direct ChEMBL indications, not inferred from the associated-gene cohort below.
| Drug | Status |
|---|---|
| Cisplatin | Approved (phase 3) |
| Fluorouracil | Approved (phase 3) |
9 drugs in clinical trials for this disease (phase 2–3, investigational): efficacy not established — a trial record, not an indication.
| Drug | Highest phase |
|---|---|
| Platinum | Phase 3 |
| Camrelizumab | Phase 2 |
| Capecitabine | Phase 2 |
| Cetuximab | Phase 2 |
| Ixabepilone | Phase 2 |
| Nedaplatin | Phase 2 |
| Nimotuzumab | Phase 2 |
| Paclitaxel | Phase 2 |
| Toripalimab | Phase 2 |
Clinical trials & evidence
Clinical trials
Clinical trials: 62.
Phase distribution (across all retrieved trials)
| Phase | Trials |
|---|---|
| PHASE2 | 24 |
| Not specified | 21 |
| PHASE1 | 8 |
| PHASE3 | 5 |
| PHASE2/PHASE3 | 2 |
| PHASE1/PHASE2 | 1 |
| EARLY_PHASE1 | 1 |
Top trials by phase / activity
| NCT | Phase | Status | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCT05063552 | PHASE2/PHASE3 | ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING | Testing the Use of Investigational Drugs Atezolizumab and/or Bevacizumab With or Without Standard Chemotherapy in the Second-Line Treatment of Advanced-Stage Head and Neck Cancers |
| NCT05721755 | PHASE3 | ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING | Combining Radiation Therapy With Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck |
| NCT06589804 | PHASE3 | RECRUITING | Testing the Addition of Anti-Cancer Drug, Cetuximab, to Standard of Care Treatment (Pembrolizumab) for Returning or Spreading Head and Neck Cancer After Previous Treatment |
| NCT06957938 | PHASE3 | NOT_YET_RECRUITING | Comparing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Combined With PD-1 Inhibitor Versus Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| NCT07441681 | PHASE3 | NOT_YET_RECRUITING | Comparing Radiation Plus Cetuximab to Radiation Plus Chemotherapy in People With Head and Neck Cancer Who Cannot Receive Cisplatin |
| NCT03258554 | PHASE2/PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Radiation Therapy With Durvalumab or Cetuximab in Treating Patients With Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Who Cannot Take Cisplatin |
| NCT04502641 | PHASE3 | UNKNOWN | Induction Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma: a Randomised Phase 3 Trial |
| NCT02734537 | PHASE2 | RECRUITING | Radiation Therapy With or Without Cisplatin in Treating Patients With Stage III-IVA Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Who Have Undergone Surgery |
| NCT04862650 | PHASE2 | ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING | Cemiplimab, Low-Dose Paclitaxel and Carboplatin for the Treatment of Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck |
| NCT05075980 | PHASE2 | ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING | Intensity Modulated Proton or X-Ray Therapy After Surgery for Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer, the HEADLIGHT Study |
| NCT05136196 | PHASE2 | RECRUITING | BiCaZO: A Study Combining Two Immunotherapies (Cabozantinib and Nivolumab) to Treat Patients With Advanced Melanoma or Squamous Cell Head and Neck Cancer, an immunoMATCH Pilot Study |
| NCT05172258 | PHASE2 | ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING | Testing the Addition of an Anti-cancer Drug, Ipatasertib, to the Usual Immunotherapy Treatment (Pembrolizumab) in Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck |
| NCT06039631 | PHASE2 | RECRUITING | Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy Followed By Radiation Or Organ Preservation Surgery In Laryngeal/Hypopharyngeal Cancer |
| NCT06151743 | PHASE2 | RECRUITING | Neoadjuvant PD-1 Inhibitor Combined With Cetuximab and Platinum in Resectable Locally Advanced Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| NCT06532279 | PHASE2 | RECRUITING | Testing the Addition of the Drug BMX-001, a Radioprotector, or a Placebo to the Usual Chemoradiation Therapy for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer |
| NCT06636734 | PHASE2 | RECRUITING | Lovastatin and Pembrolizumab for the Treatment of Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer, LAPP Trial |
| NCT06997068 | PHASE2 | RECRUITING | Methotrexate, Erlotinib, and Celecoxib for the Treatment of Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer in a Rural Midwest United States Population |
| NCT07137039 | PHASE2 | NOT_YET_RECRUITING | Neoadjuvant Treatment of Locally Advanced Hypopharyngeal Cancer With Adebrelimab Combined With TP Chemotherapy Regimen |
| NCT07248956 | PHASE2 | RECRUITING | Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Combined With Finotonlimab in the Treatment of Locally Advanced Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| NCT01312350 | PHASE2 | COMPLETED | Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck (SCCHN) |
| NCT01435252 | PHASE2 | COMPLETED | A Phase II Study In Patients With Advanced Head And Neck Cancer Of Standard Chemoradiation And Add-On Cetuximab |
| NCT01516996 | PHASE2 | UNKNOWN | Safety and Efficacy Study of Nimotuzumab Plus Neoadjuvant and Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy to Treat Oropharynx and Hypopharynx Cancer |
| NCT01806675 | PHASE1/PHASE2 | COMPLETED | 18F-FPPRGD2 PET/CT or PET/MRI in Predicting Early Response in Patients With Cancer Receiving Anti-Angiogenesis Therapy |
| NCT02062632 | PHASE2 | TERMINATED | Doxepin Hydrochloride in Treating Esophageal Pain in Patients With Thoracic Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy to the Thorax With or Without Chemotherapy |
| NCT03558035 | PHASE2 | UNKNOWN | New Strategy of Improving Treatment Outcome and Larynx-preservation Rate in Locally Advanced Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| NCT04156698 | PHASE2 | UNKNOWN | Induction Chemotherapy Combined With Immunotherapy for Locally Advanced Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| NCT04162873 | PHASE2 | TERMINATED | Celecoxib Through Surgery and Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Advanced Head and Neck Cancer |
| NCT04539600 | PHASE2 | UNKNOWN | Induction Chemotherapy Combined With Camrelizumab in Locoregionally Advanced Hypopharyngeal Cancer |
| NCT04541355 | PHASE2 | COMPLETED | Sodium Thiosulfate in Preventing Ototoxicity for Squamous Cell Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemoradiation With Cisplatin |
| NCT05420597 | PHASE2 | UNKNOWN | Induction Chemotherapy and Toripalimab Followed by Radiotherapy in Unresectable Laryngeal/Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| NCT05860335 | PHASE2 | UNKNOWN | Efficacy and Safety of Toripalimab Combined With AP-induced Chemotherapy Followed in Non-metastatic IVB Hypopharyngeal Cancer |
| NCT06084845 | PHASE2 | WITHDRAWN | Testing the Addition of an Investigational Drug, Xevinapant, to Usual Radiation Therapy Plus Cisplatin/Carboplatin for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer |
| NCT04533750 | PHASE1 | ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING | Testing the Addition of M3814 (Peposertib) to Radiation Therapy for Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Who Cannot Take Cisplatin |
| NCT04576091 | PHASE1 | ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING | Testing the Addition of an Anti-cancer Drug, BAY 1895344, With Radiation Therapy to the Usual Pembrolizumab Treatment for Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer |
| NCT05172245 | PHASE1 | RECRUITING | Testing the Addition of Ipatasertib to Usual Chemotherapy and Radiation for Head and Neck Cancer |
| NCT06761937 | PHASE1 | RECRUITING | Thermoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Patients |
| NCT06868433 | PHASE1 | RECRUITING | TMV Vaccine Therapy Alone and With Pembrolizumab for the Treatment of Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer |
| NCT07156227 | PHASE1 | NOT_YET_RECRUITING | Testing the Addition of an Anti-Cancer Drug, Camonsertib, to Radiation Therapy for Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma |
| NCT02113878 | PHASE1 | COMPLETED | Phase Ib Study of BKM120 With Cisplatin and XRT in High Risk Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Cancer of Head and Neck |
| NCT04870840 | PHASE1 | COMPLETED | Image-guided Proton Therapy for the Treatment of Locally Advanced Unresectable Head and Neck Cancer |
Drugs tested across these trials (top 30)
| Molecule | Max phase | Trials referencing |
|---|---|---|
| CETUXIMAB | 4 | 6 |
| ATEZOLIZUMAB | 4 | 1 |
| CABOZANTINIB | 4 | 1 |
| CEMIPLIMAB | 4 | 1 |
| DOXEPIN HYDROCHLORIDE | 4 | 1 |
| DURVALUMAB | 4 | 1 |
| LOVASTATIN | 4 | 1 |
| SODIUM FLUORIDE F 18 | 4 | 1 |
| SODIUM THIOSULFATE | 4 | 1 |
| IPATASERTIB | 3 | 2 |
| BUPARLISIB | 3 | 1 |
| CAMRELIZUMAB | 3 | 1 |
| NIMOTUZUMAB | 3 | 1 |
| PLATINUM | 3 | 1 |
| XEVINAPANT | 3 | 1 |
| CAMONSERTIB | 2 | 1 |
| EFROFILCON A | 1 | 2 |
| ELIMUSERTIB | 1 | 1 |
| NEDISERTIB | 1 | 1 |
| CHEMBL5412235 | 0 | 1 |
| CHEMBL1200462 | 0 | 1 |
| CHEMBL3753202 | 0 | 1 |