Oncotarget

Clinical Research Papers:

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy achieves better local control compared to three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy for T4-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Jenny Ling-Yu Chen, Yu-Sen Huang, Sung-Hsin Kuo, Ruey-Long Hong, Jenq-Yuh Ko, Pei-Jen Lou and Chun-Wei Wang _

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Oncotarget. 2017; 8:14068-14077. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.12736

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Abstract

Jenny Ling-Yu Chen1,2, Yu-Sen Huang3,4, Sung-Hsin Kuo1,5, Ruey-Long Hong1, Jenq-Yuh Ko6, Pei-Jen Lou6 and Chun-Wei Wang1

1 Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan

2 Department of Radiation Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan

3 Department of Medical Imaging, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan

4 Department of Medical Imaging, National Taiwan University Hospital Yun-Lin Branch, Yun-Lin, Taiwan

5 Graduate Institute of Oncology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

6 Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan

Correspondence to:

Chun-Wei Wang, email:

Keywords: intensity-modulated radiation therapy; conformal radiation therapy; nasopharyngeal carcinoma; survival outcomes; late toxicities

Received: May 23, 2016 Accepted: October 12, 2016 Published: October 18, 2016

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the survival outcomes and late toxicity profiles of three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) vs. intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: Three hundred and seventy-four patients with newly diagnosed, non-metastatic, NPC who were curatively treated with 3DCRT between 2004 and 2006 and 481 patients treated with IMRT between 2007 and 2009 were analyzed. Patients were categorized as having advanced-stage disease (stage III, IVA, and IVB disease; n = 709) or early-stage disease (stage I and II; n = 146). The median follow-up time was 90.3 months for patients treated with 3DCRT and 86.3 months for patients treated with IMRT.

Results: For early-stage patients, the outcomes of IMRT vs. 3DCRT were similar considering locoregional control (LRC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS). For advanced-stage patients, IMRT was associated with better LRC compared with 3DCRT (5-year LRC rate: 85.6% vs. 76.6%, respectively; p = 0.035) and OS (5-year OS rate: 82.3% vs. 71.8%, respectively; p = 0.002), whereas DMFS was similar for both treatments (5-year DMFS rate: 80.9% vs. 79.0%, respectively; p = 0.324). Furthermore, the IMRT technique was more beneficial for patients with T4 disease. Late toxicities occurred more frequently in patients treated with 3DCRT than in those treated with IMRT (grade ≥3 neck fibrosis: 6.7% vs. 3.7%, respectively, p = 0.036; radiographic temporal lobe necrosis: 10.2% vs. 4.4%, respectively, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Compared with 3DCRT, IMRT offered better LRC in patients with advanced-stage non-metastatic NPC, which corresponded with better OS.


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