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Cancer of the nasopharynx. Factors influencing prognosis
Author(s) -
Perez Carlos A.,
Ackerman Lauren V.,
Mill William B.,
Ogura Joseph H.,
Powers William E.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(196907)24:1<1::aid-cncr2820240102>3.0.co;2-h
Subject(s) - medicine , radiation therapy , neck dissection , lymph , cancer , surgery , lymph node , metastasis , radiology , pathology
The characteristics of 79 patients with malignant tumors of the nasopharynx are correlated with their survival. A modification to the TNM classification is presented, as well as a definition of the different pathologic types of tumors. Twenty‐four out of 70 patients survived 5 years tumor free (34%). However, 4 of these surviving patients developed recurrent tumor and/or distant metastasis at a later date. Early lesions, without neurologic findings, bony destruction, or large metastatic lymph nodes, had a better prognosis. This was true also for the lymphoepithelioma and the well‐differentiated squamous carcinoma. Over 40% of the patients that failed developed local recurrence, even with doses in the range of 6000 rads. Small fields used before 1958 were found to correlate with a higher local failure rate, probably due to geographical miss resulting in marginal recurrences. Elective irradiation of the neck resulted in a high degree of sterilization of metastatic tumor in die lymph nodes. From the experience in 7 patients, it was concluded that radical neck dissection, after a full course of radiation therapy, adds nothing to the treatment of these patients and is associated with a significant number of complications.