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Treatment outcomes and feasibility of partial neck irradiation for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma with only retropharyngeal lymph node metastasis after intensity‐modulated radiotherapy
Author(s) -
Chen Mo,
Tang LingLong,
Sun Ying,
Mao YanPing,
Li WenFei,
Guo Rui,
Liu LiZhi,
Li Li,
Lin AiHua,
Ma Jun
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.23314
Subject(s) - medicine , nasopharyngeal carcinoma , radiation therapy , univariate analysis , oncology , lymph node metastasis , metastasis , multivariate analysis , radiology , cancer
Background The purpose of this study was to summarize the treatment outcomes and evaluate the feasibility of partial neck irradiation in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with only retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RLNs) metastasis. Methods Between January 2003 and December 2007, 54 patients with NPC who received partial neck irradiation to levels II, III, and VA and 100 patients who received whole neck irradiation were reviewed. Results The 5‐year disease free survival (DFS), disease metastasis‐free survival, (DMFS) local relapse‐free survival (LRFS), and regional relapse‐free survival (RRFS) rates were 81.8%, 87.7%, 94.8%, and 98.1%, respectively. The 5‐year RRFS and DFS rates for the partial neck irradiation group and whole neck irradiation group were 98.1% versus 98.0% ( p = .882), 87.0% vs 77.0% ( p = .117), respectively. Partial neck irradiation was not considered a significant prognostic factor for any endpoint in univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusion Partial irradiation of neck levels II, III, and VA might be acceptable for patients with NPC with only RLN metastasis. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36 : 468–473, 2014