Locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma in childhood and adolescence: Analysis of 95 patients treated with combined chemotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy

Background. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment outcomes and toxicities of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for children and adolescents with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods. Ninety-five patients of <25 years old in locoregionally advanced NPC (stage III-IVB) were analyzed. All were given neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by IMRT with or without concurrent chemotherapy/adjuvant chemotherapy. Results. The 4-year overall survival (OS), locoregional relapse-free survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were 90.8%, 94.9%, 79.1%, and 84.0%, respectively. N classification was the only significant predicting factor for OS, PFS, and DMFS, with the p value of .017, .015, and 0.054, respectively. The main long-term complications were xerostomia, hearing impairment, and neck fibrosis. Conclusion. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by IMRT with or without concurrent/adjuvant chemotherapy produced a superb treatment outcome in children and adolescents with stage III to IVB disease. Distant metastasis was the main failure. More effective treatment strategies are urgently needed to further improve the long-term survival. (C) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.