Early diagnosis,early treatment and the correct therapeutic approch are the keys for metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) treatment.Currently,PET-CT is the best modality for distant metastasis staging of NPC.Cispalatin-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment method of metastatic NPC.Molecular targeted therapy is possible to further increase curative effect.When the lesions are limited,local palliative treatment may improve prognosis if patient's illness is controled by chemotherapy.

In this paper, we investigate the boundedness character, the global attractivity and the periodic nature of the svstem of ratiol difference equatious:xn+1=p+yn-k/xn,yn+1=q+xn-k/yn,n=0,1,2..., where p>0, q>0, k∈ of the system of rational difference equations:xn+1=P+yn-k/xn, yn=q+xn-k/yn,n=0,1,2 {1,2,…} and the initial values x1, y1∈(0,∞), i=- k, -k+1,… 0. Some new results are obtained.

Objective To investigate the volume of prophylactic irradiation to the neck for stage N0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical records of 270 patients with stage N0 NPC (based on the 6th version of AJCC/UICC staging system),who underwent IMRT as the initial treatment in our center from 2003 to 2008.Among all the patients,171 received prophylactic upper-neck irradiation,and 99 prophylactic whole-neck irradiation.All of them received 6-MV X-ray IMRT to the primary focus of NPC and the lymphatic drainage area in the upper neck (Levels Ⅱ,Ⅲ,and Ⅴ A lymph nodes) at doses of 68 Gy/30fractions and 54 Gy/30 fractions over 6 weeks.In addition,the patients receiving prophylactic whole-neck irradiation had the lower neck and supraclavicular fossae treated by anterior neck semi-field conventional technique at a dose of 50 Gy/25 fractions.Results The median follow-up was 65.1 months (range 4-106months),and the follow-up rate was 93％.The patients undergoing prophylactic upper-neck irradiation and prophylactic whole-neck irradiation had 5-year disease specific survival rates of 95.3％ and 91.9％ (x2 =0.76,P =0.384),relapse-free survival rates of 99.4％ and 99.0％ (x2 =1.18,P =0.278),and distant metastasis-free survival rates of 98.8％ and 94.9％ (x2 =2.31,P =0.128).The 5-year distant metastasisfree survival rate was significantly higher in patients without retropharyngeal lymph node (RLN) metastasis than in those with RLN metastasis (99.4％ vs.93.7％,x2 =8.96,P =0.003).Grade 1-2 mucositis and pharyngitis were the most common acute adverse reactions in patients.At 24 months after IMRT,no grade 3 or 4 xerostomia and trismus were developed.Conclusions Prophylactic irradiation to the upper neck may be feasible for stage N0 NPC patients treated with IMRT.It is reasonable in the 7th version of AJCC/UICC staging system that NPC with negative cervical lymph nodes and positive RLNs is reclassified to stage N1.

Objective To compare the long-term efficacy between two radiochemotherapy regimens for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC):intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy (CCRT) versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by CCRT.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 278 patients with locally advanced NPC who were admitted to our hospital from 2001 to 2008.Of the 278 patients,133 received CCRT,and 145 received NACT followed by CCRT (NACT + CCRT).Results The follow-up rate was 96.6％.The 5-year overall survival (OS),distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS),recurrence-free survival (RFS),and progression-free survival (PFS) were 78.1％,78.0％,90.6％,and 72.0％,respectively.There were no significant differences between the CCRT group and NACT + CCRT group in 5-year OS (79.9％ vs.76.4％,P =0.443),DMFS (77.1％ vs.78.9％,P=0.972),RFS (91.6％ vs.89.8％,P=0.475),and PFS (71.6％ vs.72.2％,P=0.731).Subgroup analysis showed that compared with CCRT,NACT + CCRT did not significantly improve 5-year RFS in T3-4N0-1 patients (90.7％ vs.86.9％,P=0.376) and did not significantly improve 5-year DMFS in patients with advanced N-stage disease (57.6％ vs.69.7％,P =0.275).There were significantly higher numbers of individuals with neutropenia,decrease in hemoglobin,and upper gastrointestinal reactions in patients treated with NACT + CCRT than in those treated with CCRT (100 vs.52,P=0.000;64 vs.35,P=0.010;90 vs.63,P=0.044).Conclusions Compared with CCRT,NACT + CCRT does not significantly improve the prognosis in patients with locally advanced NPC and leads to significant increases in grade ≥ 3 toxicities (neutropenia,decrease in hemoglobin,and upper gastrointestinal reactions).The role of NACT in the treatment of locally advanced NPC needs further study

Objective To evaluate the long-term outcomes of patients with advanced N-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and the effects of IMRT combined with different chemotherapies on the patients' prognosis.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 179 patients with advanced N-stage NPC who were admitted to our hospital from January 2001 to January 2008.Of the 179 patients,33 received IMRT alone,and 146 received chemoradiotherapy (CRT).Among the 146 patients,71 received concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT),66 received induction chemotherapy (IC) plus CCRT,and 9 received CCRT plus adjuvant chemotherapy (AC).Results The follow-up rate was 96.5％,and 133 patients were followed up for at least 5 years.The 5-year overall survival rate was 69.0％.The patients receiving IMRT alone and patients receiving CRT had 5-year overall survival rates of 47.7％ and 73.7％ (x2 =13.91,P =0.000),5-year distant metastasisfree survival (DMFS) rates of 49.2％ and 68.3％ (x2 =4.97,P =0.026),relapse-free survival rates of 74.5％ and 92.4％ (x2 =9.87,P =0.002),and progression-free survival rates of 37.5％ and 65.1％ (x2 =11.65,P =0.001).Among the patients receiving CRT,those receiving CCRT,IC plus CCRT,and CCRT plus AC had similar survival rates.IC plus CCRT resulted in a significantly higher DMFS than IMRT alone (x2 =4.65,P =0.031).Conclusions The distant metastasis rate is still high in patients with advanced N-stage NPC after IMRT,for whom IC plus concurrent chemotherapy and IMRT may be a better treatment regimen.

Objective To investigate the long-term outcomes of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in different stages treated by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and explore their treatment strategies.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 868 NPC patients without distant metastasis who received radical IMRT from May 2001 to October 2008.These patients were divided into early N0 (T1-2N0) group (n =137),early N1 (T1-2N1) group (n =129),locally advanced (T3-4N0-1) group (n =322),regionally advanced (T1-2 N2-3) group (n=107),and locoregionally advanced (T3-4 N2-3) group (n =173).There groups were compared in terms of treatment outcome and treatment strategy.Results The follow-up rate was 91.4％,and 314 patients completed 5-years follow-up.The 5-year overall survival rate,local recurrence-free rate,and distant metastasis-free rate (DMFR) were 83.5％,91.8％,and 84.6％,respectively.The early N0 group had the best treatment outcome,with a 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rate up to 99.1％.Each group had a similar outcome after receiving either IMRT alone or IMRT combined with chemotherapy.The locally advanced group and regionally advanced group had similar failure patterns and treatment outcomes.The locoregionally advanced group had the worst treatment outcome,with a 5-year DMFR of 67.2％ and a DSS of 68.0％.The regionally advanced group and locoregionally advanced group had a similar treatment outcome after receiving IMRT alone,induction chemotherapy plus IMRT,or concurrent chemotherapy and IMRT.Conclusions Patients with NPC in different stages have different survival outcomes.It is recommended that different treatment strategies should be adopted according to the T and N stages of NPC.IMRT alone can produce satisfactory results in patients with T1-2N0 NPC,but a more effective medication should be added to IMRT in patients with advanced NPC,particularly those with T3-4N2-3 NPC who have a relatively low DMFR.

AIM:To investigate the clinical efficacy of minimally invasive foldable capsular buckle(FCB)scleral buckling in treating rhegmatogenous retinal detachment(RRD).METHOD: This retrospective study enrolled 11 patients(11 eyes)with RRD treated with minimally invasive FCB scleral buckling at the Hainan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from May to July 2023. The surgeries were performed without subconjunctival anesthesia, extraocular muscle pulling, intraocular positioning, retinal cryotherapy or drainage of subretinal fluid, or FCB suture fixation. Furthermore, the best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), intraocular pressure and complications were observed.RESULTS: Minimally invasive FCB scleral buckling was performed on 11 eyes, with successful retinal reattachment in 10 eyes(91%), and the remaining 1 eye(9%)had postoperative retinal re-detachment and underwent vitrectomy with silicone oil filling for multiple retinal tears. One-time successful surgery was in 4 eyes(40%), gas injection in vitreous body after the surgery was performed in 1 eye(10%), FCB position adjustment after the surgery was performed in 3 eyes(30%), gas injection in vitreous body and FCB position adjustment after the surgery were performed in 2 eyes(20%); and FCB was removed 4-12 wk after the surgery in 5 eyes(50%), without retinal redetachment. The average BCVA(LogMAR)of the 10 eyes improved from 1.30±1.10 before surgery to 0.37±0.39 at 4 wk after surgery(P<0.01); the average preoperative intraocular pressure was 11.51±3.37 mmHg and 13.72±2.57 mmHg at 4wk after surgery(P>0.05). No serious complications occurred.CONCLUSION:Minimally invasive FCB scleral buckling effectively treats RRD with minimal injury, simple operation, time-saving, and fewer complications.

OBJECTIVETo explore the acute toxic effects and early curative efficacy of concurrent chemotherapy with different doses of cisplatin for Chinese nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

METHODSEighty-eight untreated stage II/III nasopharyngeal cancer patients receiving IMRT and concurrent cisplatin were randomized into two groups receiving different doses of cisplatin. The standard group (DDP 100 mg/m² q3w, n = 44) and the study group (DDP 80 mg/m² q3w, n = 44). The acute toxic effects and 3-month therapeutic efficacy (early curative efficacy) in patients of the two groups who completed treatment were compared and analyzed.

RESULTSDuring the treatment, grade III-IV acute toxic effects were observed in more patients of the standard group compared with that in the study group (72.7% vs. 59.1%), but the difference was statistically not significant (P = 0.18). Significant difference was only seen in upper gastrointestinal reaction (P = 0.01) and anemia (P = 0.03) among the non-hematological and hematological adverse events. No significant differences in other adverse events were found between the two groups (P < 0.05). Three months after the completion of radiotherapy, 80 cases of the whole group achieved complete remission (CR) in the nasopharynx and neck MRI. In both the standard group and study group, 40 patients had CR and 4 patients had residual disease, respectively, showing a non-significant difference (P = 0.51) between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONSDuring the IMRT course, patients received cisplatin 80 mg/m² q3w, experienced less grade III-IV acute toxic effects. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin 80 mg/m² q3w or 100 mg/m² q3w, demonstrate similar early curative efficacy in II/III stage NPC patients in endemic regions of China.

Anemia ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma ; Chemoradiotherapy ; China ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; therapy ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prospective Studies ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; Remission Induction