[Long-term efficacy of radiotherapy on children with nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in children is a particular type of NPC with poor prognosis. This study was to analyze long-term treatment efficacy, and relevant factors influencing prognosis of NPC in children.


METHODS
From Jan. 1975 to Dec. 1995, 47 children,7-14 years old, with NPC diagnosed by pathology received radiotherapy in our hospital. Radiation doses were 52-74 Gy/6-13 weeks [(64.68+/-5.68) Gy] in nasopharynx, and 46-73 Gy/5-13 weeks [(57.77+/-5.86) Gy] in neck; 21 received 1-3 cycles of chemotherapy (cisplatin, bleomycin, 5-fluoroucil, vincristine, and cyclophosphamide) before radiotherapy. Survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method, and analyzed by log-rank test with SPSS 10.0 software.


RESULTS
The 1, 3, 5-year survival rates of 47 patients were 72.3%, 53.2%, and 40.4%, respectively. Clinical stage (P=0.046), mode of biopsy (P=0.024), radiation dose in nasopharynx (P=0.049), and short-term efficacy (P=0.005) correlated with prognosis of these patients. The average height of 15 male children with NPC who survived for more than 5 years was (161.5+/-1.23) cm. Among 3 female children with NPC who survived for more than 5 years, 2 had menstruation disturbance.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical stage, mode of biopsy, radiation dose in nasopharynx, short-term efficacy may influence prognosis of NPC in children. Radiation-induced long-term sequelae of NPC in children should not be overlooked.
Cao
Ka-Jia
KJ
Department of Nasopharyngeal Cancer, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510 060, P.R. China. caokajia@163.com
Li
Yin
Y
Huang
Pei-Yu
PY
Xie
Guo-Feng
GF
Huang
Teng-Bo
TB
Hong
Ming-Huang
MH
D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height / Q000528:radiation effects; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002648:Child; D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008599:Menstruation Disturbances / Q000209:etiology; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes