[Long-term efficacy of radiotherapy on children with nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in children is a particular type of NPC with poor prognosis. This study was to analyze long-term treatment efficacy, and relevant factors influencing prognosis of NPC in children.

METHODS

From Jan. 1975 to Dec. 1995, 47 children,7-14 years old, with NPC diagnosed by pathology received radiotherapy in our hospital. Radiation doses were 52-74 Gy/6-13 weeks [(64.68+/-5.68) Gy] in nasopharynx, and 46-73 Gy/5-13 weeks [(57.77+/-5.86) Gy] in neck; 21 received 1-3 cycles of chemotherapy (cisplatin, bleomycin, 5-fluoroucil, vincristine, and cyclophosphamide) before radiotherapy. Survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method, and analyzed by log-rank test with SPSS 10.0 software.

RESULTS

The 1, 3, 5-year survival rates of 47 patients were 72.3%, 53.2%, and 40.4%, respectively. Clinical stage (P=0.046), mode of biopsy (P=0.024), radiation dose in nasopharynx (P=0.049), and short-term efficacy (P=0.005) correlated with prognosis of these patients. The average height of 15 male children with NPC who survived for more than 5 years was (161.5+/-1.23) cm. Among 3 female children with NPC who survived for more than 5 years, 2 had menstruation disturbance.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical stage, mode of biopsy, radiation dose in nasopharynx, short-term efficacy may influence prognosis of NPC in children. Radiation-induced long-term sequelae of NPC in children should not be overlooked.