Biomedical subjects

W H Kwan

Publications and source records attributed to W H Kwan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Overall survival after concurrent cisplatin-radiotherapy compared with radiotherapy alone in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

This phase III randomized study compared concurrent cisplatin-radiotherapy (CRT) versus radiotherapy (RT) alone in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A total of 350 patients were randomly assigned to receive external RT alone or concurrently with cisplatin at a dosage of 40 mg/m(2) weekly. The primary endpoint was overall survival, and the median follow-up was 5.5 years. The 5-year overall survival was 58.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 50.9% to 66.2%) for the RT arm and 70.3% (95% CI = 63.4% to 77.3%) for the CRT arm. In Cox regression analysis adjusted for T stage, age, and overall stage, the difference in overall survival was statistically significantly in favor of concurrent CRT (P = .049, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.71 [95% CI = 0.5 to 1.0]). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that there was no difference between overall survival in the arms for T1/T2 stage (P = .74, HR = 0.93 [95% CI = 0.59 to 1.4]), whereas there was a difference between the arms for T3/T4 stage (P = .013, HR = 0.51 [95% CI = 0.3 to 0.88]), favoring the CRT arm. The regimen of weekly concurrent CRT is a promising standard treatment strategy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with intensity-modulated radiotherapy: the Hong Kong experience.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in the primary treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), including the role of dose escalation above 66 Gy level. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between July 2000 and September 2002, 63 newly diagnosed NPC patients were treated with IMRT. The disease was Stage I in 9 (14%), Stage II in 18 (29%), Stage III in 22 (35%), and Stage IV in 14 (22%). The prescribed dose was 66 Gy to the gross tumor volume (GTV) and positive neck nodes, 60 Gy to the planning target volume (PTV), and 54-60 Gy to the clinically negative neck. All 20 (100%) patients with T1-2a tumors received intracavitary brachytherapy (ICB) boost, and 15/42 (36%) patients with T2b-T4 tumors received conformal boost (8 Gy/4 fractions). Nineteen patients with advanced stage disease also received either neoadjuvant or concurrent chemotherapy. Acute and late normal tissue effects were graded according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) radiation morbidity scoring criteria. Local relapse-free survival (LRFS), nodal relapse-free survival (NRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 29 months (range 8-45 months), 4 patients developed local in-field failure, 1 patient developed regional relapse, and 13 patients developed distant metastases. All 4 patients with local failure had either T3 or T4 disease before primary treatment and did not have ICB or conformal boost. The 3-year actuarial LRFS, NRFS, DMFS, and OS were 92%, 98%, 79%, and 90%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that dose escalation above 66 Gy was significantly associated with better PFS and DMFS, whereas GTV size was a significant adverse factor for OS. The worst acute mucositis was Grade 1 or 2 in 36 (59%), and Grade 3 in 25 (41%) patients. Acute dysphagia requiring tube feeding occurred in 5 (8%) patients. The proportion of patients with Grade 2-3 xerostomia was 57% at 3 months, and 23% at 2 years after IMRT. Within the subset of patients with a mean parotid dose of <31 Gy, the proportions with Grade 2-3 xerostomia were 30% and 17% at 3 months and 2 years, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our experience of using IMRT in the primary treatment of NPC showed a very high rate of locoregional control and favorable toxicity profile. Furthermore, we found that dose escalation above 66 Gy of IMRT-based therapy was a significant determinant of progression-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival for advanced T-stage tumors. Distant metastases represent the predominant mode of treatment failure.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Phase II study of neoadjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by radiotherapy and concurrent cisplatin in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: therapeutic monitoring with plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA.

PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy of neoadjuvant paclitaxel and carboplatin (TC) followed by concurrent cisplatin and radiotherapy (RT) in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and to monitor treatment response with plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients with International Union Against Cancer stages III and IV undifferentiated NPC had two cycles of paclitaxel (70 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15) and carboplatin (area under the curve 6 mg/mL/min on day 1) on a 3-weekly cycle, followed by 6 to 8 weeks of cisplatin (40 mg/m2 weekly) and RT at 66 Gy in 2-Gy fractions. Plasma EBV DNA was measured serially using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Results All patients completed planned treatment. Response to neoadjuvant TC was as follows: 12 patients (39%) achieved partial response (PR) and 18 achieved (58%) complete response (CR) in regional nodes; five patients (16%) achieved PR and no patients achieved CR in nasopharynx. At 6 weeks after RT, one patient (3%) achieved PR and 30 patients (97%) achieved CR in regional nodes, and 31 patients (100%) achieved CR in nasopharynx; 29 patients (93%) had EBV DNA level of less than 500 copies/mL. Neoadjuvant TC was well tolerated, and the most common acute toxicity of cisplatin plus RT was grade 3 mucositis (55%). At median follow-up of 33.7 months (range, 7 to 39.3 months), six distant and three locoregional failures occurred. Plasma EBV DNA level increased significantly in eight of nine patients who experienced treatment failure but did not increase in those who did not. The 2-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 91.8% and 78.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION This strategy was feasible and resulted in excellent local tumor control. Serial plasma EBV DNA provides a noninvasive method of monitoring response in NPC.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Psychosocial impact of breast cancer surgeries in Chinese patients and their spouses.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This pilot study assesses the psychosocial impact of different modalities of breast cancer surgery in Chinese patients and their husbands. METHODS: Thirty-six patients who underwent conservative breast therapy (BCT) for breast cancer were compared with 36 women who underwent total mastectomy (TM) on four aspects of psychosocial adjustment. They were matched in pairs in terms of stage of disease, age and time since surgery. Where available, their husbands were also consented for similar assessment. RESULTS: Women who underwent BCT showed a significantly better response to their body and sexual image than those who underwent TM. This difference did not translate into any significant difference in terms of emotional and symptomatic aspects, daily activities, or fear of recurrences. The husbands of patients in the TM group showed significantly more emotional and symptomatic distress and greater change in the perception of their wives' body and sexual images. CONCLUSION: This is the first of such study conducted in a Chinese population. The lack of differences in certain psychosocial aspects may indicate a generally good adjustment in the TM patients after their surgery. It may also relate to the fact that volunteers for the study were themselves representative only of the patient population who adapted well to the surgery, and those patients who were emotionally distressed tended to decline to participate. Psychosocial disruption in the patients' families is reflected in our study where patients' husbands in the TM group were significantly more disturbed. However, due to the limited number of patients studied, the findings are not yet conclusive and require further studies for confirmation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Concurrent chemotherapy-radiotherapy compared with radiotherapy alone in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: progression-free survival analysis of a phase III randomized trial.

PURPOSE: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is highly sensitive to both radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy. This randomized phase III trial compared concurrent cisplatin-RT (CRT) with RT alone in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with Ho's N2 or N3 stage or N1 stage with nodal size > or = 4 cm were randomized to receive cisplatin 40 mg/m(2) weekly up to 8 weeks concurrently with radical RT (CRT) or RT alone. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Three hundred fifty eligible patients were randomized. Baseline patient characteristics were comparable in both arms. There were significantly more toxicities, including mucositis, myelosuppression, and weight loss in the CRT arm. There were no treatment-related deaths in the CRT arm, and one patient died during treatment in the RT-alone arm. At a median follow-up of 2.71 years, the 2-year PFS was 76% in the CRT arm and 69% in the RT-alone arm (P =.10) with a hazards ratio of 1.367 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93 to 2.00). The treatment effect had a significant covariate interaction with tumor stage, and a subgroup analysis demonstrated a highly significant difference in favor of the CRT arm in Ho's stage T3 (P =.0075) with a hazards ratio of 2.328 (95% CI, 1.26 to 4.28). For T3 stage, the time to first distant failure was statistically significantly different in favor of the CRT arm (P =.016). CONCLUSION: Concurrent CRT is well tolerated in patients with advanced NPC in endemic areas. Although PFS was not significantly different between the concurrent CRT arm and the RT-alone arm in the overall comparison, PFS was significantly prolonged in patients with advanced tumor and node stages.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Final report of a randomized trial on altered-fractionated radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma prematurely terminated by significant increase in neurologic complications.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to compare the survival, local control and complications of conventional/accelerated-hyperfractionated radiotherapy and conventional radiotherapy in nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS AND MATERIALS: From February 1993 to October 1995, 159 patients with newly diagnosed nonmetastatic (M0) NPC with N0 or 4 cm or less N1 disease (Ho's N-stage classification, 1978) were randomized to receive either conventional radiotherapy (Arm I, n = 82) or conventional/accelerated-hyperfractionated radiotherapy (Arm II, n = 77). Stratification was according to the T stage. The biologic effective dose (10 Grays) to the primary and the upper cervical lymphatics were 75.0 and 73.1 for Arm I and 84.4 and 77.2 for Arm II, respectively. RESULTS: With comparable distribution among the T stages between the two arms, the free from local failure rate at 5 years after radiotherapy was not significantly different between the two arms (85.3%; 95% confidence interval, 77.2-93.4% for Arm I; and 88.9%; 95% confidence interval, 81.7-96.2% for Arm II). The two arms were also comparable in overall survival, relapse-free survival, and rates of distant metastasis and regional relapse. Conventional/accelerated-hyperfractionated radiotherapy was associated with significantly increased radiation-induced damage to the central nervous system (including temporal lobe, cranial nerves, optic nerve/chiasma, and brainstem/spinal cord) in Arm II. Although insignificant, radiation-induced cranial nerve(s) palsy (typically involving VIII-XII), trismus, neck soft tissue fibrosis, and hypopituiturism and hypothyroidism occurred more often in Arm II. In addition, the complications occurred at significantly shorter intervals after radiotherapy in Arm II. CONCLUSION: Accelerated hyperfractionation when used in conjunction with a two-dimensional radiotherapy planning technique, in this case the Ho's technique, resulted in increased radiation damage to the central nervous system without significant improvement in efficacy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Clinical outcomes of post-operative locoregional radiotherapy in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal Chinese women with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSES: Recent randomized studies from the West show that post-operative locoregional radiotherapy improves survival in lymph node (LN) positive pre-menopausal women with breast cancer but this benefit has not been established in the Chinese population. There is no published study on clinical outcomes (locoregional recurrence, survival and toxicities) of post-operative locoregional radiotherapy in Chinese women with breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 399 female Chinese patients with breast cancer who had received post-mastectomy locoregional radiotherapy in our center between 1984 and 1990. The patients were stratified according to tumor size, menopausal and LN status. We analyzed the incidence and pattern of locoregional recurrence, distant recurrence, survival rates and toxicity related to radiotherapy. RESULTS: Of the 399 patients 216 were pre-menopausal and 183 were post-menopausal. The mean age was 49.3 years (23-83). Distribution of tumor size and LN status of the two groups was similar. Median follow-up was 71.9 months. Locoregional recurrence occurred in 57 (14.3%) patients (pre-menopausal 24 (11.1%); post-menopausal 33 (18.3%) P=0.489). Recurrence was more common in LN positive patients (18.2%) than LN negative patients (9.2%). The pattern of locoregional recurrence was: chest wall 24, axilla LN 12, supraclavicular LN 10, chest plus LN 11. The distant recurrence rate was 39.6% for all patients and 75.4% for patients with locoregional recurrences. The overall 10-year survival rate for all patients was 54%. For LN positive patients the 10-year survival rate of pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women was 38 and 51%, respectively (P=0.207), and for LN negative patients the rate was 73 and 70%, respectively (P=0.603). Acute skin toxicity included redness (30.8%), dry desquamation (12.8%), and wet desquamation (6. 8%). Long-term toxicities included skin atrophy (0.3%), telangectasia (3.3%), pneumonitis (2.8%) and brachial plexus palsy (1.3%). CONCLUSIONS: In our series Chinese patients with node-positive breast cancer have a relatively high locoregional recurrence rate in spite of mastectomy and post-operative radiotherapy. Limited use of adjuvant system chemotherapy may account, at least in part, for this finding. Clinical outcomes of post-operative radiotherapy in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal breast cancer patients are similar.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Primary orbital Ewing's sarcoma: report of a case and review of the literature.

Primary orbital Ewing's sarcoma is a very rare condition. Since the first case was reported in 1950, only 7 other cases have been reported in the English literature. Herein we describe the ninth, the only bilateral and the youngest case of primary orbital Ewing's sarcoma occurring in a 2-year-old boy, who presented to us with bilateral painless proptosis. Tissue biopsy of the tumour was obtained through the nasal sinus. Immunohistological studies of the biopsy tissue confirmed the diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma. No distant site of the tumour was found so this was considered a primary orbital tumour. Combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy without surgical resection achieved an encouraging result in that the patient has remained in remission for 30 months after completion of treatment. The successful use of combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy, without surgery, adds further support to evidence that surgical excision may be avoided in selected cases of primary orbital Ewing's sarcoma.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMed1998

Multimodality treatment of primary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung.

BACKGROUND: Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) of the lung occurs at a higher frequency in Asian compared with Western patients. Its association with Epstein-Barr virus varies among different ethnic groups. METHODS: Nine patients with primary LELC of the lung treated at a single institution with a multimodality approach comprised of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are reported. Chemotherapy was comprised of cisplatin, 100 mg/m2, on Day 1 and 5-fluorouracil, 1 g/m2, on Days 2, 3, and 4. RESULTS: Five male and 4 female patients were treated over a 3-year period. Eight patients were non-smokers. Three patients had operable disease. Two of these patients received adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy and remained free of recurrence at 18 and 20 months, respectively; 1 patient received no adjuvant treatment, and palliative chemotherapy was given for subsequent recurrent disease. Six patients had inoperable disease and received palliative chemotherapy +/- radiotherapy. Five patients had distant metastatic disease at presentation. Of the 7 patients who were evaluable for response to chemotherapy, 71.4% had a partial response and 28.6% had progressive disease. One patient who was evaluable for response to radiotherapy achieved a partial response. CONCLUSIONS: Primary LELC of the lung has a high rate of systemic metastasis and is highly chemosensitive. A multimodality approach to the management of this disease is recommended.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

How successful is high-dose (> or = 60 Gy) reirradiation using mainly external beams in salvaging local failures of nasopharyngeal carcinoma?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of high-dose (> or = 60 Gy) reirradiation using mainly external beams in salvaging local failures of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after modern primary radical radiotherapy that delivered radical dose-to-target volumes defined by CT scan. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Nine hundred and three patients with nondisseminated NPC whose primary radical radiotherapy was administered between 1984 and 1989 inclusive were studied. One hundred and seventy-six had local failures comprising 9 persistences and 167 recurrences. In 10 patients the local failures were preceded or accompanied by (within 2 months) distant metastases, and these were given supportive treatment or palliative radiotherapy in low dose (< 60 Gy) if symptomatic. Most of the rest (123 of 166) were treated with either reirradiation to high dose (> or = 60 Gy) using mainly external photon beams (n = 103) or nasopharyngectomy with/without radical neck dissection with/without postoperative radiotherapy (n = 20). The remainder (n = 43) received only palliative treatments because of poor general condition and/or patients' refusal of radical treatments. The primary radiotherapy was planned on the basis of target volumes defined by CT scan and given to a standard nasopharyngeal dose of 62.5 Gy/29 fractions/6 weeks. In the presence of parapharyngeal involvement, an additional boost of 20 Gy/10 fractions/2 weeks was given via a posterior oblique photon beam. If local residual tumors were diagnosed at 4-6 weeks after the completion of external radiotherapy, an additional boost of 24 Gy/3 fractions/15 days was given by intracavitary intubation. For the local failures given high-dose reirradiation, the target volume was defined by CT scan and treated by a two-field or a three-field photon arrangement with or without additional dose supplement by intracavitary intubation. Nasopharyngectomy was performed via the transcervico-mandibulo-palatal approach or the maxillary swing approach. Radical neck dissection was only performed for the clinically evident nodal failures. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 20 months (range 2.5-81 months) since the diagnosis of local failure, the actuarial 5-year overall survival, further relapse-free survival and free-from-local-tumor rates were 9.4, 11.5, and 18.7%, respectively, for the 123 patients treated by either high-dose reirradiation (n = 103) or nasopharyngectomy (n = 20). Palliatively treated patients (n = 43) had a survival comparable to patients whose local failures were preceded or accompanied by distant metastasis (n = 10). Reirradiation to high dose (> or = 60 Gy) mainly by external photon beams achieved a 5-year overall survival of 7.6% and 5-year local control of 15.2% with significant complications. Radiation-induced temporal lobe encephalopathy was radiologically evident in 21 patients (20.4%), and 13 of these 21 patients were symptomatic. It could have been the cause of death in three patients who also suffered from uncontrolled local tumor. Significant morbidity was also associated with the other frequent radiation complications, including xerostomia, trismus, and deafness. Uni- and multivariate analyses indicated that brief initial disease-free interval between completion of primary radiotherapy and diagnosis of local failures and advanced recurrent T-stage and recurrent N-stage were significant prognosticators predicting poor survival and/or further local failure after reirradiation. These patients were unlikely to benefit from the treatment. Nasopharyngectomy (+/- neck dissection +/- postoperative radiotherapy) was associated with earlier recurrent T-stages (mostly rT1 and rT2) and better survival and local control than reirradiation. However, restricting the comparison to rT1 and rT2 still demonstrated the superior results in favor of nasopharyngectomy, which could not be explained by the selection of less advanced lesions or patients with better performance status for surgery. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Phase II study of Temodal in the treatment of patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: A single-institution phase II trial of Temodal (temozolomide, SCH52365) in Chinese patients with advance nasopharyngeal carcinoma was undertaken to determine the efficacy and safety of the drug in this population. METHODS: A total of 14 patients with metastatic or locoregionally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma were entered into the study. One patient was unevaluable. Temodal was given at doses of 150 or 200 mg/m2 daily on days 1-5 every 28 days. RESULTS: In all, 30 cycles of Temodal were given with no significant toxicity. All 13 (100%) evaluable patients had progressive disease after 2 (84.6%) or 4 (15.4%) courses. CONCLUSION: Temodal given on this schedule has no activity in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

The significance of keratinizing squamous cell histology in Chinese patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Six hundred and ninety-three Chinese patients with non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) were treated at one institution under a uniform protocol between 1984 and 1989. The tumour histology of these patients was subjected to a standardized review and classified into two distinct groups of World Health Organization (WHO) type I (keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma) (n = 13) or WHO types II and III (non-keratinizing carcinoma and undifferentiated carcinoma) (n = 662). The differentiation between the two groups was uncertain in 18 patients. The patient characteristics and clinical outcome after a uniform treatment policy of the two groups were not statistically significantly different. The low incidence of WHO type I NPC may account for the lack of prognostic significance of this histological subtype in Chinese populations.

Actuarial Analysis↗

PubMed1998

Staging and IgA VCA titre in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: changes over a 12-year period.

The distributions of 2093 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), by stage, over a 12-year-period did not show any evidence of a shift towards early stages despite growing awareness of this prevalent malignancy. The IgA VCA titre was determined for 1880 of these patients. The median titre increased from 40 in stage I to 80 in stages II, III, and IV, before rising to 160 in stage V. The percentage of patients with a titre > or = 320 increased steadily with advancing stages. Within the same disease stage, the percentage of patients having a particular titre value and the median titre varied considerably from year to year. Better education of the general population and a better serological marker for screening are needed for the early detection of NPC.

Antibodies, Neoplasm↗

PubMed1998

Isolated testicular relapse after bone marrow transplant with total body irradiation and testicular boost in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A 7-year-old boy with Ph+ ALL received an allogeneic BMT in second remission. Conditioning included cyclophosphamide 60 mg/kg for 2 days, TBI 2 Gy twice daily for 3 days (12 Gy) and a single testicular boost of 4 Gy. He remained in hematological remission after BMT but developed isolated testicular relapse at 17 months. He underwent orchiectomy of the affected testis, 24 Gy testicular radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy. He remains in remission 24 months after the testicular relapse. This is the first report of isolated testicular relapse which received a testicular irradiation boost included in the conditioning.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗

PubMed1997

Assessment of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue and its relation to clinical findings.

47 newly diagnosed patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) were studied using the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunostaining technique. The results were reproducible as shown by assessment of three separate sections performed for each patient. No statistical correlation was found between PCNA labelling index (LI) and Ho's clinical staging or time required to achieve complete remission of the local disease. A higher PCNA LI was associated with a poorer disease-free survival. The literature on the use of PCNA in human tumours is reviewed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Cosmetic outcome of breast-conserving therapy in Chinese patients with early breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast-conserving surgery combined with radiotherapy has emerged as an alternative to mastectomy for women with early breast cancer, and cosmetic outcome has correlated closely with the psychosocial and physical well-being of the patient. Cosmetic outcome assessment after breast-conserving therapy in Chinese patients has so far not been conducted among the clinicians, the patients or their spouses. METHODS: The cosmetic results from breast-conserving therapy were evaluated in a group of 33 patients who had been selected as suitable for undergoing local excision, axillary dissection and postoperative radiation therapy for early stage breast cancer. The success of the procedures was assessed by the patients, the clinicians and the patient's spouse, and their ratings were compared with each other. RESULTS: Eighty per cent of the patients and their spouse were satisfied with the cosmetic outcome. Using McNemar's test, when the groups were evaluated on a case-by-case basis, there was a good level of concordance between the patients and their spouses, and that of the patients and the clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of the cosmetic and psychosocial sequelae of breast cancer patients is essential when new approaches to treatment are introduced; our data suggest that cosmetically successful breast conservation is feasible in a selected group of Chinese women with early breast cancer.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Significant prognosticators after primary radiotherapy in 903 nondisseminated nasopharyngeal carcinoma evaluated by computer tomography.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the significant prognosticators in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS AND MATERIALS: From 1984 to 1989, 903 treatment-naive nondisseminated (MO) NPC were given primary radical radiotherapy to 60-62.5 Gy in 6 weeks. All patients had computed tomographic (CT) and endoscopic evaluation of the primary tumor. Potentially significant parameters (the patient's age and sex, the anatomical structures infiltrated by the primary lesion, the cervical nodal characteristics, the tumor histological subtypes, and various treatment variables were analyzed by both monovariate and multivariate methods for each of the five clinical endpoints: actuarial survival, disease-free survival, free from distant metastasis, free from local failure, and free from regional failure. RESULTS: The significant prognosticators predicting for an increased risk of distant metastases and poorer survival included male sex, skull base and cranial nerve(s) involvement, advanced Ho's N level, and presence of fixed or partially fixed nodes or nodes contralateral to the side of the bulk of the nasopharyngeal primary. Advanced patient age led to significantly worse survival and poorer local tumor control. Local and regional failures were both increased by tumor infiltrating the skull base and/or the cranial nerves. In addition, regional failure was increased significantly by advancing Ho's N level. Parapharyngeal tumor involvement was the strongest independent prognosticator that determined distant metastasis and survival rates in the absence of the overriding prognosticators of skull base infiltration, cranial nerve(s) palsy, and cervical nodal metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: The significant prognosticators are delineated after the advent of CT and these should form the foundation of the modern stage classification for NPC.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Prognosticators determining survival subsequent to distant metastasis from nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Distant metastases are common in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and their presence is the most important factor in limiting survival. We aimed to study the prognosticators determining survival subsequent to distant metastasis from NPC. METHODS: A study by both mono- and multivariate analyses was carried out in 945 patients presenting between 1984 and 1989. Forty-two presented with metastases and 247 developed metastasis after primary radiotherapy. RESULTS: Patients who presented with distant metastasis (M1-classification) had a significantly shorter survival than those who developed metastases after primary radiotherapy. The presence of hepatic metastases, short metastasis free interval, and older age at presentation significantly predicted short survival after the diagnosis of distant metastasis. Patients with metastases preceded by, and/or accompanied with, locoregional recurrence had comparable survival to those without, despite their association with a significantly longer metastasis free interval. A history of locoregional recurrence was however not compatible with long term, disease free survival, and, in its presence, advanced T-classification on presentation predicted poor survival subsequent to metastasis. Long term disease free survival (64-117 months) was attained in 4 young patients (age < 40 years) with isolated intrathoracic metastases in the absence of locoregional recurrence after achieving a complete response to aggressive treatment, with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and/or surgery, usually multimodal. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the clinical prognosticators have been identified and an attempt was made to subclassify distant metastases according to possible differences in prognosis. A subset of metastatic NPC was identified which is compatible with long term, disease free survival. Investigations during follow-up should be directed toward the early detection of such potentially salvageable cases.

Adult↗