Hyperfractionated Radiotherapy: Improvement of Survival in Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Objectives: Standard treatment with concomitant chemotherapy (CT) and radiotherapy (RT) for nasopharyngeal cancer has shown rates of locoregional control of 80% and has improved the rate of 5-year survival to 67% to 84%. Hyperfractionated radiotherapy (HFRT) may increase locoregional control of tumors of the head and neck, but the addition of concomitant CT involves an unacceptable level of toxicity. Adding induction CT may control distant metastasis. Here we compare the results of our protocol with induction CT followed by HFRT alone with the results obtained with concomitant treatments. Methods: Between October 1994 and May 2002, 46 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated with HFRT. The patients with N+ or T4 lesions also received cisplatin-based induction CT (55%). Results: The patients received a mean of 3 CT cycles (range, 2 to 5). At 5 years, the rate of progression-free survival was 66% (range, 51.3% to 82.1%), and the global survival rate was 75.7% (range, 61.9% to 89.5%). Conclusions: The use of HFRT in association with induction CT in patients with the greatest risk of metastasis may be as effective as concomitant CT-RT for treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer. Efforts should now concentrate on minimizing the acute and chronic toxicities.