Accelerated concomitant boost radiotherapy and chemotherapy for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of concomitant boost radi otherapy (RT) plus cisplatin-based chemotherapy compared with standard frac tionation RT for patients with advanced nasopharyngeal cancer. Patients and Methods: From 1988 through 1999, 50 patients with American Joi nt Committee on Cancer stage II-IVb nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated w ith 70-Gy concomitant boost RT (1.8 Gy/d, weeks 1 through 6; 1.6 Gy second daily fraction, weeks 5 through 6) and two cycles of concurrent cisplatin 1 00 mg/m(2) days 1 and 22. Thirty-seven patients also received three cycles of cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy. These 50 patients were compared w ith a nonrandomized cohort of 51 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer treate d with 70-Gy standard fractionatian RT (1.8 Gy/d) without chemotherapy from 1988 through 1995. The groups were well matched for prognostic factors exc ept stage, for which the concomitant boost RT/chemotherapy group was more a dvanced (54%, T3-4; 54%, N2-3; 44%, stage IV) compared with the standard RT group (31%, T3-4, P = .03; 22%, N2-3, P < .06)1; 20%, stage IV, P < .01). Results: With a median follow-up of 42 months (range, 12 to 129 months), th e 3-year actuarial local control, progression-free survival, and survival r ates were 89% v 74% (P < .01), 66% v 54% (P = .01), and 84% v 71% (P = .04) for the concomitant boost RT/chemotherapy group and the standard RT patien ts, respectively. Acute grade 3 mucositis was more prevalent with combined therapy, 84% v 43% (P < .001), resulting in a higher rate of temporary gast rostomy tube placement, 46% v 20% (P < .01). Conclusion: Concomitant boost RT with cisplatin-based chemotherapy is feasi ble and improves local-regional control as well as survival for patients wi th advanced nasopharyngeal cancer compared with standard RT alone.