ObjectiveTo analyze the influencing factors of survival time of patients suffering from hypopharyngeal carcinoma treated with open operation.MethodsClinical data of 64 patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma treated with open operation from Dec 2010 to Dec 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. All the patients had been followed up to assess their survival time. According to the AJCC TNM staging criteria (2010), 3 cases were T1 (4.7%)，11 were T2 (17.2%)，15 were T3 (23.4%) and 35 were T4 (54.7%). Univariate survival analysis was performed by KaplanMeier method with Logrank test. Cox regression model was used to analyze the factors influencing survival and prognosis.ResultsOf the 64 patients, 3 were lost to followup with a followup rate of 95.3%. Among the 27 died patients, 23 (85.2%) had pathologically positive lymph nodes, 10 (37.0%) had postoperative pharyngeal fistula, and 18 (66.7%) had lymph node recurrence. Of the 34 survivors，the numbers of case with positive lymph nodes, postoperative pharyngeal fistula and lymph node recurrence were 17 (50%), 6 (17.6%) and 1 (3.0%) respectively. Univariate analyses showed that lymph node metastasis, pharyngeal fistula and lymph node recurrence were statistically significant influencing factors of the survival time in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma (all P<0.05). Multivariate analyses of Cox regression model showed preoperative lymph node metastasis and postoperative chemoradiotherapy were statistically significant influencing factors of postoperative lymph node recurrence (P<0.05).ConclusionsThe early clinical symptoms of hypopharyngeal carcinoma are not obvious. Most of the confirmed patients are at middle and advanced stages with poor prognosis. As the factors affecting the survival time of patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma, lymph node metastasis, pharyngeal fistula and lymph node recurrence should be worthy of attention. Lymph node metastasis and postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy are the influencing factors of lymph node recurrence.