Neuropsychological function in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy

A neuropsychological test battery was administered to 27 adult patients wit h nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who had received radiotherapy, 28 adult pa tients with NPC awaiting radiotherapy, and 35 normal adult controls. The 27 patients with radiotherapy had a conventional dosage, 220 cGy per fraction , or less. The median interval between the completion of radiotherapy and t he evaluation of neuropsychological function was 1.7 years. Groups were mat ched for age and educational level. The results showed that our NPC group w ith radiotherapy had neuropsychological impairments in the areas of auditor y attention/concentration, immediate and delayed verbal recall and immediat e visual recall, and recent memory, higher-order visuospatial abilities, an d bimanual dexterity. Thus neuropsychological dysfunction may occur in pati ents with NPC within the first 2 years after radiotherapy.