Prognostic significance of the total dose of cisplatin administered during concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background And Purpose: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) confers survival benefit over radiotherapy (RT) alone in the treatment of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study explored the prognostic significance of the total dose of cisplatin delivered during CRT.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in patients with stage II to IVB NPC (AJCC 6th edition) who participated in 3 prospective studies.

Surgical salvage nasopharyngectomy for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a multivariate analysis of prognostic factors.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify independent prognostic factors that influenced local relapse-free survival (LRFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients who underwent salvage surgery for residual or recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: Ninety-seven patients who had been treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for NPC underwent a nasopharyngectomy for a residual or recurrent local tumor between November 1987 and June 2007. The subsequent minimum follow-up was 2 years.

Dosimetric comparison of intensity-modulated stereotactic radiotherapy with other stereotactic techniques for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: Locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients can be salvaged by reirradiation with a substantial degree of radiation-related complications. Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is widely used in this regard because of its rapid dose falloff and high geometric precision. The aim of this study was to examine whether the newly developed intensity-modulated stereotactic radiotherapy (IMSRT) has any dosimetric advantages over three other stereotactic techniques, including circular arc (CARC), static conformal beam (SmMLC), and dynamic conformal arc (mARC), in treating locally recurrent NPC.

Plasma osteopontin, hypoxia, and response to radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal cancer.

Purpose: Recent studies have suggested that osteopontin is induced by hypoxia in head and neck cancer cell lines and its plasma level may serve as a surrogate marker for tumor hypoxia and treatment outcome in head and neck cancer. We investigated the response of osteopontin to in vitro hypoxia in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines, and determined plasma osteopontin levels in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, nonnasopharyngeal carcinoma head and neck cancer patients, and healthy controls. We explored the relationship of plasma osteopontin and response to radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngectomy: does the approach to the nasopharynx influence survival?

Objective: To investigate whether the approach used to the nasopharynx to perform a salvage nasopharyngectomy for recurrent or residual nasopharyngeal carcinoma influences survival.

Study Design: A retrospective case series.

Subjects And Methods: Eighty patients underwent a nasopharyngectomy via a transpalatal, maxillary swing, or midfacial degloving approach.

Nasopharyngectomy and surgical margin status: a survival analysis.

Objective: To explore whether the margin status at surgical salvage nasopharyngectomy for local residual or recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma affects patient survival.

Design: Retrospective case series review.

Setting: Academic tertiary referral center.

Prospective randomized study of intensity-modulated radiotherapy on salivary gland function in early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Purpose: This randomized trial compared the rates of delayed xerostomia between two-dimensional radiation therapy (2DRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in the treatment of early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Patients And Methods: Between November 2001 and December 2003, 60 patients with T1-2bN0-1M0 NPC were randomly assigned to receive either IMRT or 2DRT. Primary end point was incidence of observer-rated severe xerostomia at 1 year after treatment based on Radiotherapy Oncology Group /European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer late radiation morbidity scoring criteria.

Laryngeal carcinoma: five-year survival and patterns of failure in 202 consecutive patients treated with primary or post-operative radiotherapy in Hong Kong.

Objectives: We aimed to conduct a retrospective analysis of patients treated with radiotherapy for laryngeal carcinoma at a single institution.

Methods: We analysed data from 202 consecutive patients treated with primary or post-operative radiotherapy for laryngeal carcinoma over a 10-year period.

Results: Sixty-nine patients had a T1, 65 a T2, 39 a T3 and 29 a T4 lesion.

Nasopharyngeal granulomatous inflammation and tuberculosis complicating undifferentiated carcinoma.

Objective: Four cases of nasopharyngeal granulomatous inflammation after radiotherapy for undifferentiated carcinoma were analyzed for tuberculosis, and the histologic features were compared.

Study Design And Setting: We conducted a retrospective study with analysis of tuberculosis by Ziehl Neelsen staining and polymerase chain reaction analysis for Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA on histologic materials.

Results: Three patients had previous nasopharyngeal undifferentiated carcinoma, one had previous metastatic undifferentiated carcinoma to cervical lymph nodes, and all patients received similar radiotherapy regimen.