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Analysis of 1379 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated by radiation
Author(s) -
Qin Dexing,
Hu Yuhua,
Yan Jiehua,
Xu Guozhen,
Cai Weiming,
Wu Xuelin,
Cao Dexian,
Gu Xianzhi
Publication year - 1988
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(19880315)61:6<1117::aid-cncr2820610611>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - medicine , trismus , nasopharyngeal carcinoma , radiation therapy , stage (stratigraphy) , surgery , carcinoma , adenocarcinoma , cancer , paleontology , biology
One thousand three hundred seventy‐nine nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients were treated from March 1958 to December 1978. Twenty‐two percent had stage I or II and 78% Stage III or IV had lesions. Two hundred twenty—Kv radiographs were used before 1960; and telecobalt was used from 1961 to 1978. Factors influencing the 5‐year survival rate favorably are youth of patient, being female, pathologic condition (poorly differentiated carcinoma, 45.1% versus adenocarcinoma, 13%), stage (Stage 1,86%, Stage II, 59.5%; Stage III, 45.8%; Stage IV, 29.2%), decade admitted for treatment in the past (31% in the 1950s, 48.6% in the 1970s), total dose delivered to the nasopharynx (40 to 49 Gy, 46%; 70 to 79 Gy, 54.1%; 90 Gy or more, 64%) and prophylactic radiation to the neck regions (with prophylactic irradiation, 53.8%, without prophylactic irradiation, 23%). This implies that prophylactic radiation of the neck is crucial even without positive clinical metastasis. For those who have a residual tumor in the primary site when 70 Gy has been delivered, the total dose may be boosted to more than 90 Gy with the cone‐down technique or on basis of adding 20 Gy to the dose at which the primary lesion disappeared grossly. The common postirradiation complications are: radiation myelitis, trismus, and otitis media. Because disease recurred in some patients after the fifth year, NPC patients should be followed for at least 10 years.