THE purpose of this report is to present the findings of a review of 32 consecutive patients with carcinoma of the tonsil admitted to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center during a ten-year period from 1957-1966. This review includes the age and sex distribution, initial symptoms, clinical staging, pathologic findings, treatment, and survival statistics.
Review of the Literature
Tumors of the tonsil by definition are those arising in the tonsil or tonsillar fossa including the tonsillar pillars.1 Although it is felt that these lesions represent separate entities, it is usually difficult to classify them clinically as to specific site of origin, and they are therefore studied together.2 This lesion accounts for 1.5% to 3% of all cancers3-5 and is second in frequency only to carcinoma of the larynx among malignancies of the upper respiratory tract.3,6Cancer of the tonsil is predominantly a disease of males as