Improved outcome of nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with conventional radiotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the outcome of patients with nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with conventional radiotherapy at a single institution.


METHODS
From 1990 to 1999, 171 consecutive patients with NPC were treated with conventional (two-dimensional) radiotherapy. Tumor histology was undifferentiated in 82% of cases. Tumor-node-metastasis Stage (American Joint Committee on Cancer/International Union Against Cancer 1997 system) was I in 6%, II in 36%, III in 22%, and IV in 36% of patients. Mean total radiation dose was 68.4 Gy. Chemotherapy was given to 62% of the patients. The median follow-up for surviving patients was 6.3 years (range, 3.1-13.1 years).


RESULTS
The 5-year overall survival, disease-specific survival, and disease-free survival rates were 72%, 74%, and 62%, respectively. The 5-year local, regional, and distant control rates were 84%, 80%, and 83% respectively. Late effects of radiotherapy were prospectively recorded in 100 patients surviving without relapse; 44% of these patients had Grade 3 xerostomia, 33% had Grade 3 dental damage, and 11% had Grade 3 hearing loss.


CONCLUSIONS
This analysis shows an improved outcome for patients treated from 1990 to 1999 compared with earlier retrospective series, despite the use of two-dimensional radiotherapy. Late toxicity, however, was substantial with conventional radiotherapy.
Palazzi
Mauro
M
Department of Radiotherapy, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy. mauro.palazzi@istitutotumori.mi.it
Guzzo
Marco
M
Tomatis
Stefano
S
Cerrotta
Annamaria
A
Potepan
Paolo
P
Quattrone
Pasquale
P
Cantù
Giulio
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome