title: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
abstract: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is uncommon in the United States, with only 0.2 to 0.5 cases per 100,00 people; this is in contrast to southern China and Hong Kong, where the incidence is 25 to 50 per 100,000 people. There is a potential link between Epstein-Barr virus and the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Radiotherapy alone as a single modality leads to similar 10-year survival rates in United States, Denmark, and Hong Kong (34%, 37%, and 43%, respectively). Multiple studies have shown an advantage to concurrent chemoradiation in the treatment of advanced disease. Radiation therapy remains the mainstay of salvage therapy, and modern techniques have allowed clinicians to achieve adequate local control without excessive toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Sophia C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kamran
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Nadeem
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Riaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA. Electronic address: leen2@mskcc.org.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis
keywords: EBV molecular biology; Epstein-Barr virus; Head and neck cancer; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma