Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignant tumor in China, Southeast Asia and North Africa region. The main treatment of NPC is radiation therapy, and concurrent chemoradiotherapy has become the standard treatment for locally advanced NPC Up to date, the targeted therapy in NPC has been gradually appreciated recently, in this paper, NPC biological targeted therapy in recent years as a progress of treatment were reviewed.
Biological Therapy ; Carcinoma ; Chemoradiotherapy ; China ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; therapy ; Radiotherapy

Adult ; Carcinoma ; Dermatomyositis ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy

China/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma/therapy* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/therapy* ; Quality Control

Carcinoma ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; radiotherapy ; therapy

Chemotherapy is one of main treatments for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) except radiation therapy. Improving and optimizing chemotherapeutic regimen are helpful to improve the therapeutic effects and reduce side effects. At present, concurrent chemoradiotherapy still is the standard treatment for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Induced chemotherapy has been shown superiority, but the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy needs further study. This paper analyzed the superior and inferior, effect and side effect of all kinds of chemotherapeutic methods or scheme including induced chemotherapy, concurrent chemotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy and palliative chemotherapy and introduced simply the mechanism and clinical effect of new drugs of anticancer. It was hoped to offer some reference for the selection of chemotherapy for NPC.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Carcinoma ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; drug therapy

Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Carcinoma/surgery* ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: This study is to evaluate the xerostomia following 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT) in nasopharynx cancer patients using the xerostomia questionnaire score (XQS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Questionnaire study was done on 51 patients with nasopharynx cancer who received 3D CRT from Dec. 2000 to Aug. 2005. 3D CRT technique is based on "serial shrinking field" concept by 3 times of computed tomography (CT) simulation. Total target dose to the primary tumor was 72 Gy with 1.8 Gy daily fractions. Xerostomia was assessed with 4-questions XQS, and the associations between XQS and time elapsed after RT, age, sex, stage, concurrent chemotherapy, and parotid dose were analyzed. RESULTS: Concurrent chemotherapy was given to 40 patients and RT alone was given to 11 patients. The median time elapsed after 3D CRT was 20 (1~58) months and the mean XQS of all 51 patients was 8.4+/-1.9 (6~14). XQS continuously and significantly decreased over time after 3D CRT (x(2)=-0.484, p<0.05). There was no significant difference in XQS according to sex, age, and stag. However, XQS of concurrent chemotherapy patients was significantly higher than RT alone patients (p=0.001). XQS of patients receiving total mean parotid dose > or=35 Gy was significantly higher than <35 Gy (p=0.05). CONCLUSION: Decreasing tendency of XQS over time after 3D CRT was observed. Concurrent chemotherapy and total mean parotid dose > or=35 Gy were suggested to adversely affect radiation-induced xerostomia.
Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Radiotherapy, Conformal* ; Xerostomia*

We reported two patients with nasopharyngeal adenocarcinoma resected by using the exclusively endoscopic approach. Case reports and a review of the world literature concerning nasopharyngeal adenocarcinoma. The tumors were resected successfully via the exclusively endoscopic approach and no conversions to the conventional approach were necessary. The two patients were followed up for 26 and 18 months respectively, and no recurrence was noted without postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of endoscopic resection of nasopharyngeal adenocarcinoma. Our experience revealed that not only for the early recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the exclusively endoscopic nasopharyngectomy can be expanded for the resection of selected nasopharyngeal adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Drug Therapy ; Endoscopes ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence

Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Salvage Therapy ; Treatment Failure

Concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) has played the most important and central role in the definitive therapy for the patients with locoregionally advanced stage nasopharynx cancer. The addition of induction chemotherapy (IC) or adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) to CCRT have been widely accepted with the rationale of improving distant control in the clinical practices. This review article investigated the role of IC and AC based on 11 recent meta-analysis publications, and found that the clinical benefits obtained by the additional IC or AC to CCRT, at the cost of the increased risks of more frequent and more severe side effects, seemed not big enough. More intervention is not always better, however, less seems frequently good enough. The author would speculate that ‘less is more’ and would advocate CCRT alone as the current standard.
Chemoradiotherapy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms