[The radiotherapy of primary extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the nasopharynx].

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma occurs quite seldom in the nasopharynx, therefore reports on this topic are rare in medical literature. The treatment results of 30 irradiated patients (40 to 60 Gy) are presented. The period of the study ranges from 1960 to 1985. 13 patients with low grade lymphoma and 17 patients with high grade lymphoma according to the Kiel classification form the basis of this study. The overall actuarial 5-year survival rate is 24%. This also applies for the subgroups of low grade and high grade lymphomas with a 5-year survival rate of 24%, respectively. The evaluation of the patients without generalization in the course of disease shows that the prognosis of stage IE patients with 43% was superior to the one of stage IIE patients with 25% (p less than 0.001). Only patients with lymphoma limited to the nasopharynx survived longer than five years (46%), but none of the patients with simultaneous spread to the nasal cavity, the oropharynx and/or the base of the skull. Local and regional recurrences were rare. However, a generalization of the disease occurred more often (20%), mainly due to insufficient staging in former years. Long-term sequelae of the radiation therapy like rhinitis or pharyngitis sicca were registered occasionally. At present, locoregional radiation therapy is recommended for stage IE and IIE low grade lymphomas and stage IE high grade lymphomas of the nasopharynx.