[Radiotherapy of carcinoma of the nasopharynx].

Cancer of the cavum is a rare condition in France. These tumors have, however, a poor prognosis and in general occur in young subjects. While radiotherapy would appear to be the best mean of ensuring local control, life expectancy depends solely on distant metastases. Analysis of a series of 58 cases treated at the Fondation Bergonié from 1975 to 1985 demonstrated a 30% five year survival rate. Among the 25 cases of recurrence, 1 was exclusively local and 6 were loco-regional (T and N), while 18 patients presented metastatic progression, either exclusively, or with local or lymph node failure. The prognostic factors found in this series were: age, extension beyond the cavum, the dose of radiotherapy. Results in the literature in terms of survival remain poor, especially in advanced stages and the future perspectives for better control of this disease remain early diagnosis and other forms of therapy such as combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy.