Understanding radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

For NPC patients, since the nasopharynx is located deep, with the skull base above, the brain stem and cervical vertebrae behind, and the posterior nasal foramen in front, the tumor often infiltrates to the skull base, carotid sheath area, and parapharyngeal space to varying degrees, and the metastasis rate of upper cervical lymph nodes is high, surgery cannot completely remove the primary lesion and cervical metastasis. In addition, NPC is mostly poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, which is sensitive to radiotherapy, and the primary lesion and cervical lymphatic drainage area are easily included in the irradiation target area, so radiotherapy is the preferred treatment method.

Radiotherapy methods: There are many radiotherapy methods for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, including conventional radiotherapy, intensity-modulated conformal radiotherapy, X-knife (or gamma knife), image-guided radiotherapy, etc. With the advancement of radiotherapy equipment and technology, while the effect of radiotherapy is improved, the side effects caused by radiotherapy are also decreasing.

Time and dose of radiotherapy: Radiotherapy dose includes radical dose and palliative dose. At the beginning of treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, most of them have the purpose of radical cure, so radical dose is mainly used. If it is ordinary radiotherapy or intensity modulated conformal therapy, the time in the hospital is about one and a half months.

Radiotherapy effect of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: The survival rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after radiotherapy will vary according to the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. Generally speaking, patients with early stage confined to the nasopharyngeal cavity have a higher 5-year survival rate after radiotherapy; those with late metastasis will have a lower survival rate. But overall, the 5-year survival rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after chemotherapy has exceeded 50%, and with the application of new radiotherapy technology, the survival rate will be further improved.