A single institution experience with pediatric nasopharyngeal carcinoma: high incidence of toxicity associated with platinum-based chemotherapy plus IMRT.
BACKGROUND
Chemotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) have decreased treatment-related complications in adult patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Our aim was to evaluate the toxicity profile of IMRT plus chemotherapy in pediatric NPC patients.


METHODS
Five patients were treated with chemotherapy and IMRT. All patients experienced grade 3-4 acute toxicities. With a median follow-up of 6.3 years, all patients experienced >or=3 long-term toxicities. The most common toxicities were hypothyroidism, xerostomia, hearing loss, and dental disease.


CONCLUSIONS
We did not observe a significant decrease in long-term toxicities with IMRT plus chemotherapy in our small cohort of pediatric NPC patients.
Louis
Chrystal U
CU
Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.
Paulino
Arnold C
AC
Gottschalk
Stephen
S
Bertuch
Allison A
AA
Chintagumpala
Murali
M
Heslop
Helen E
HE
Russell
Heidi V
HV
D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D050397:Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated / Q000009:adverse effects*