Aggressive treatment achieves results in nasopharyngeal cancer
Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A regime of radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy is proving successful in the treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer.
Radiotherapy is traditionally the most important approach in treating cancer of the nasopharynx - the area above the soft palate. Increasing the radiation dose has increased survival, but in some cases there is poor local control or the cancer spreads.

Researchers in South Korea have been using another approach for the last few years with improved results. They use radiotherapy in the more directed three-dimensional conformal format, which has fewer side effects, along with a chemotherapy regime based upon the drug cisplatin. This has achieved better local control and survival rates compared to other forms of treatment, say the researchers.

Source: International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer 7th August 2004

See also: Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Can Improve Head And Neck Cancer Survival
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2004;96:1647-1649,1714-1717

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Five- and 10-year follow-up data from a randomized phase III trial support the use of induction chemotherapy before radiotherapy for patients with inoperable advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) according to Italian researchers.

"Our study," investigator Dr. Adriano Paccagnella from the SS Giovanni and Paolo Hospital in Venice told Reuters Health, "was one of the first trials to show a survival benefit by adding chemotherapy to radiotherapy alone in patients with inoperable head and neck cancer."

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See also:
Epivir®-HBV Reduces Reactivation of Hepatitis B in Nasopharyngeal Cancer Patients

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According to a recent article published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology, preventive use of Epivir®-HBV (lamivudine) significantly reduces the reactivation of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy.

The researchers concluded that the prophylactic use of Epivir-HBV significantly reduces the reactivation of HBV in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer undergoing chemotherapy. This is accompanied by a reduced risk of disruption of chemotherapy. Patients who are carriers of HBV and are to undergo chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer may wish to speak with their physician regarding their individual risks and benefits of prophylactic Epivir-HBV.

Recently, the following Head and Neck Cancers news articles have been published or updated:

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Addition of Eloxatin® to Radiation Improves Survival in Nasopharyngeal Cancer
According to preliminary results from an early online article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the addition of the chemotherapy agent Eloxatin (oxaplatin) to radiation therapy improves survival without severe side effects in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer.


Immunotherapy Provides Responses in Refractory Nasopharyngeal Cancer
According to an early on-line publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a type of immunotherapy targeted against cancer cells appears to provide some anticancer responses in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal cancer that has stopped responding to radiation and chemotherapy.

According to an article recently published in the journal Cancer, patients with nasopharyngeal cancer have an increased risk of second cancers in the upper aerodigestive tract.

Link: Rate of Second Cancers Increased with Radiation for Nasopharyngeal Cancer

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The researchers concluded that patients with nasopharyngeal cancers have an increased risk of developing cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract. Cancers that occurred greater than five years after radiation therapy all developed within the site of radiation delivery. Patients diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer should speak with their physician regarding screening measures for subsequent cancers.

Reference: Kong L, Lu J, Hu C, et al. The Risk of Second Primary Tumors in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma after Definitive Radiotherapy. Cancer. 2006; 107:1287 - 1293.