Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013 Oct;20(5):e406-19.
doi: 10.3747/co.20.1456.

Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a clinical dilemma and challenge

Tao Xu  1 , J Tang, M Gu, L Liu, W Wei, H Yang
Affiliations
Review

Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a clinical dilemma and challenge

Tao Xu et al. Curr Oncol. 2013 Oct.

Abstract

Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which represents a small proportion of head-and-neck cancers, has a unique set of patho-clinical characteristics. The management of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma remains a challenging clinical problem. Traditional treatments offer limited local control and survival benefits; more seriously, they frequently induce severe late complications. Recently, novel treatment techniques and strategies-including precision radiotherapy, endoscopic surgery or transoral robotic resection, third-generation chemotherapy regimens, and targeted therapies and immunotherapy-have provided new hope for patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Some of these patients can potentially be cured with modern treatments. However, a lack of adequate evidence makes it difficult for clinicians to apply these powerful techniques and strategies. Individualized management guidelines, full evaluation of quality of life in these patients, and a further understanding of the mechanisms underlying recurrence are future directions for research into recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Keywords: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; biotherapy; chemotherapy; radiotherapy; recurrence; surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Prognostic factors for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rnpc). ebv = Epstein–Barr virus.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Treatment suggestion for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rnpc).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wei WI, Sham JS. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Lancet. 2005;365:2041–54. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)66698-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Su SF, Han F, Zhao C, et al. Treatment outcomes for different subgroups of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Chin J Cancer. 2011;30:565–73. doi: 10.5732/cjc.010.10547. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee AW, Foo W, Law SC, et al. Total biological effect on late reactive tissues following reirradiation for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2000;46:865–72. doi: 10.1016/S0360-3016(99)00512-X. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Li JX, Lu TX, Huang Y, et al. Clinical features of 337 patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma [Chinese] Chin J Cancer. 2010;29:82–6. doi: 10.5732/cjc.009.10412. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yang TS, Ng KT, Wang HM, Wang CH, Liaw CC, Lai GM. Prognostic factors of locoregionally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma—a retrospective review of 182 cases. Am J Clin Oncol. 1996;19:337–43. doi: 10.1097/00000421-199608000-00003. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources