Analysis of intensity-modulated radiotherapy for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The present study aimed to retrospectively analyze the survival outcomes and prognostic factors for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) receiving intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Clinical data was collected from 691 patients with NPC receiving IMRT from January 2009 to August 2015. A survival analysis was performed and prognostic factors were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, the Cox proportional hazards regression model, and the log-rank test. The median follow-up time was 62.8 months. Sixty-three patients experienced relapse, 44 cases (70%) of which occurred within 3 years. Six cases (9.5%) remained in remission for over 5 years. Seventy-two patients developed metastasis, 63 cases (87.5%) of which occurred within 3 years and only 1 case occurred after 5 years (1.3%). Five-year disease special survival (DSS), progression free survival, locoregional recurrence free survival, and distant metastasis free survival were 86.5%, 82.5%, 90.7%, and 89.4%, respectively in patients with NPC. Patients with stage III NPC with and without induction chemotherapy had 5-year DSS rates of 95.8% and 89.3%, respectively (P = .00). Patients with stage IVa NPC with and without induction chemotherapy had 5-year DSS rates of 73.1% and 68.9%, respectively (P = .04). The 5-year DSS rates of patients with stage III with or without concurrent chemotherapy were 92.8% and 85.5%, respectively (P = .04). The 5-year DSS rates of patients with stage IV with or without concurrent chemotherapy were 72.7% and 53.0% (P = .02). IMRT improves the survival rate of patients with NPC. Recurrence and metastasis mainly occur within 2 to 3 years after radiotherapy. Induction and concurrent chemotherapy improve the 5-year DSS of patients with locally advanced NPC.