ADVANCED NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA IN THE YOUNG - THE NORTHERN-ISRAEL-ONCOLOGY-CENTER EXPERIENCE, 1973-1991

Between 1973 and 1991, 10 patients with locally advanced [stages III a nd IV] nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated at the Northern Israel On cology Center. All patients were treated with wide-field irradiation t o the primary tumor, including the bare of skull, neck, and supraclavi cular region. After 1984, 6 patients also received cisplatin/5FU-based chemotherapy prior to radiotherapy and I patient received it after ra diotherapy. All the patients who received chemotherapy are alive with no evidence of disease, for a mean disease-free survival of 96 months (range, 77 to 108 months), and no serious therapy-related late side-ef fects have been noted, except in one patient. We conclude that adjuvan t chemotherapy may be effective in improving outcome, but only randomi zed prospective studies can evaluate its exact role.