Open AccessSystemic approach to improving treatment outcome in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Current and future directions
Author(s) -
Ma Brigette B. Y.,
Hui Edwin P.,
Chan Anthony T. C.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
cancer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 1347-9032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2008.00836.x
Subject(s) - nasopharyngeal carcinoma , medicine , oncology , biomarker , systemic therapy , disease , chemotherapy , translational research , adjunctive treatment , virus , intensive care medicine , cancer , radiation therapy , immunology , pathology , biochemistry , chemistry , breast cancer
Systemic therapy is an integral part of the management of non‐keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The purposes of this review are to provide the latest results and future directions of clinical and translational research for this disease, and to illustrate how some of these new therapies have improved the treatment outcome for patients with NPC. Particular attention will be paid to the clinical application of chemotherapy in the adjunctive treatment of locoregionally advanced NPC, novel targeted drugs, Epstein–Barr virus‐targeted vaccine therapies, and the use of plasma Epstein–Barr virus DNA as a biomarker for selecting patients for adjunctive therapies. ( Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1311–1318)