title: A benchmark study on 883 nasopharyngeal cancer patients treated in two Italian centres from 1977 to 2000. Part I: Evolving technical choices and survival.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors sought to define treatment results according to the different accrual periods and clinical-therapeutic features in a large series of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients treated in two Italian centres over more than two decades.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 883 patients consecutively treated with radiotherapy between 1977 and 2000 at the Florence (FLO) and Brescia (IRA) Radiation Oncology centres were studied. Five-year overall (OS) and disease-specific (DSS) actuarial survival rates in the different pathological, clinical and therapeutic subgroups were calculated, along with the actuarial local-regional control (LRC) probability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At univariate analysis, survival and local control rates were significantly better in the more recent accrual periods and in the more favourable disease presentations; treatment-related parameters mainly affect LRC. At multivariate analysis, patient- and disease-related factors had a more evident prognostic effect than did therapeutic factors, although dose to the nasopharynx and treatment technique had a marginally significant impact on DSS and OS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results of this benchmark study may be useful for understanding the development of new radio-therapy techniques for NPC, such as three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and particularly intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).
authors.affiliation: Istituto del Radio O. Alberti, Spedali Civili, Piazzale Spedali Civili 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tonoli
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Magrini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paiar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simontacchi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scotti
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pasinetti
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barca
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Stefani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cellai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buglione
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Biti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019985:Benchmarking; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
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