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. 2013 Dec 18;8(12):e84586.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084586. eCollection 2013.

Prognostic factors and survival in patients with radiation-related second malignant neoplasms following radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Mian Xi  1 , Shi-Liang Liu  1 , Lei Zhao  1 , Jing-Xian Shen  2 , Li Zhang  1 , Peng Zhang  1 , Meng-Zhong Liu  1
Affiliations

Prognostic factors and survival in patients with radiation-related second malignant neoplasms following radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Mian Xi et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze the clinicopathological characteristics, treatment modalities, and potential prognostic factors of radiation-related second malignant neoplasms (SMNs) in a large group of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cases.

Methods and materials: Institutional electronic medical records of 39,118 patients with NPC treated by definitive radiotherapy between February 1964 and December 2003 were reviewed. A total of 247 patients with confirmed SMN attributable to radiotherapy were included.

Results: Median latency between radiotherapy for NPC and the diagnosis of SMN was 9.5 years (range, 3.1-36.8 years). Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histologic type, followed by fibrosarcoma and adenocarcinoma. Median progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) of the 235 patients who underwent treatment were 17.3 months and 28.5 months, respectively. The 5-year OS rates were 42.9%, 23.7%, and 0% for the surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy groups, respectively. The independent prognostic factors associated with survival were sex, histologic type, and treatment modality in both the early stage subgroup and the advanced stage subgroup of SMN.

Conclusions: Sex, histologic type, and treatment modality were the significant prognostic factors for SMN. Complete resection offers the best chance for long-term survival. In select patients with locally advanced and unresectable SMN, reirradiation should be strongly considered as a curative option.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Overall survival in patients with radiation-related second malignant neoplasm (n = 235).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Overall survival according to treatment modalities of radiation-related second malignant neoplasm (n = 235).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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