Can surgery be performed for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma? What are the details?

Is surgery possible for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma? What is it specifically?

1. Due to the deep location and complex structure of the nasopharynx, poorly differentiated cancer is the most common pathological morphology, which is highly malignant and prone to invasion of adjacent structures and cervical lymph node metastasis. Most tumors are sensitive to radiotherapy. In addition, the recurrence rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is relatively high. Therefore, radiotherapy, commonly known as electrotherapy, is the preferred treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

2. The 5-year survival rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with radiotherapy alone is between 32% and 56%. In recent years, with the continuous improvement of radiotherapy technology and the comprehensive application of chemotherapy, the survival rate has increased to more than 70%. Radiotherapy has played an indispensable role in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It is not advisable to arbitrarily use surgery as the main treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

① The best time to perform salvage surgery is after the failure of the first round of radiotherapy for NPC. Patients who relapse after two or more rounds of radiotherapy often have extensive lesions, severe soft tissue trauma, and most are accompanied by bone necrosis, making surgery often difficult.

② Different surgical procedures should be used for the nasopharynx according to different locations and ranges, with the principle of minimal surgery and maximal tumor eradication; ③ If the cervical lymph nodes do not regress 3 months after the end of radiotherapy, surgical resection should be considered.