Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tri-Serive General Hospital-SongShan Branch, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan. No. 325, Chengong Rd., Sec. 2, Neihu, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. No. 250, Wuxing St., Xinyi dist., Taipei 110, Taiwan.
Mil Med. 2020 Mar 2;185(3-4):e522-e525. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usz276.
For nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), radiotherapy is the primary treatment. However, complications occur after radiation to the nasopharynx, which could potentially affect the flying safety. Four fighter pilots with NPC were reported. With early to locally advanced NPC, they received radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy. The prescribed radiation dose was 70 Gy to the primary tumor over the nasopharynx. Before treatment, all patients presented with various degrees of hearing loss on pure tone audiometry (main frequencies of 20-45 dB at 3-4.5 kHz for affected ears). After the full course of radiotherapy, tumor regression was noticed during months to years of follow-ups. The follow-up audiometry evaluation showed gradually recovered hearing function (average improvement of 5 dB at pretreatment frequencies) in all pilots. They then returned back to the flight line on annual waiver points. Here, we conclude that fighter pilots with NPC could successfully return to the flight line after radiotherapy. However, detailed physical examinations and confirmation of adaptation to flying condition are warranted.
对于鼻咽癌（NPC），放射治疗是主要治疗方法。然而，鼻咽部放射后会出现并发症，这可能会影响飞行安全。报告了 4 名患有 NPC 的战斗机飞行员。对于早期到局部晚期 NPC，他们接受了放疗联合或不联合化疗。鼻咽原发肿瘤的规定放射剂量为 70Gy。治疗前，所有患者的纯音听阈检查（受影响耳的 3-4.5kHz 主要频率为 20-45dB）均显示出不同程度的听力损失。放射治疗后，经过数月至数年的随访，肿瘤出现了消退。随访听力学评估显示，所有飞行员的听力功能逐渐恢复（治疗前频率的平均改善 5dB）。然后，他们凭年度豁免积分回到飞行岗位。在这里，我们得出结论，接受放射治疗的 NPC 战斗机飞行员可以成功返回飞行岗位。然而，需要进行详细的体检并确认适应飞行条件。
