Indications and contraindications for radical radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

In clinical practice, radiotherapy is often used to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and radical radiotherapy is a type of radiotherapy. So, what are the characteristics of radical radiotherapy and its indications?

Radical radiotherapy

Radical radiotherapy refers to a treatment method that uses a tumor-lethal dose of radiation to completely eliminate the primary and metastatic lesions of malignant tumors. It is mainly used for tumors that are sensitive or moderately sensitive to radiation. The radiation dose used clinically is based on the radical dose required for different tumor tissues.

Indications for radical radiotherapy

1. Those whose general condition is above average.

2. Patients whose pathological type of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is sensitive to radiation.

3. CT examination shows that the skull base bone destruction is not obvious or there is mild destruction.

4. CT or MRI examination shows no or only mild invasion of the nasopharynx.

5. The maximum diameter of cervical lymph node metastasis is less than 8cm, the lymph node mass is movable, and has not yet reached the supraclavicular fossa.

6. The patient has no other distant metastasis such as lung, liver, bone, etc.

Contraindications to radical radiotherapy

1. Patients with poor general condition and cannot tolerate radiotherapy.

2. Patients with extensive distant metastasis.

3. Patients with diseases that may affect radiotherapy, such as severe heart or lung disease, severe anemia, and leukopenia.

4. Patients with concurrent acute infection.

5. Patients who have undergone radiotherapy cannot receive radiotherapy again if the following conditions exist: the nasopharynx and neck have received radical radiotherapy for less than one year; symptoms of radiation encephalopathy and spinal cord disease have occurred; the total course of nasopharyngeal radiotherapy has reached three times, and the total course of neck radiotherapy has reached two times.