Effects of oral nutritional supplement on short-term nutritional status and treatment tolerance in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving chemoradiotherapy / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To explore the impact of oral nutritional supplements in the local advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving chemoradiotherapy. Methods From 2016 to 2018, we prospectively collected 114 patients into our study, including intervention group ( n=58) and control group ( n=56) . Patients in the intervention group were given oral nutritional supplements from the beginning of radiotherapy, while the control group patients were receiving usual diet care. We collected data of weight, hematological index and nutrition related information before, during and after treatments. Results All patients experienced weight loss during radiotherapy. The declining trend was more obvious in intervention group but with no statistical difference ( P>0.05) . Radiotherapy interruption was lower, completion rate of 2 cycles of concurrent chemotherapy was higher( 78% vs 64%, P=0.02) and level of total serum protein and albumin was more stable ( P=0.003, 0.001) in the intervention group. No difference was found in acute toxicities between the two groups ( P>0.05) . During the treatment period, the nutrition risk screening score declined, more patients with NRS 2002 ≥3 in the control group than the intervention group ( P<0.05) , while no statistically significant difference was found in PG-SGA between the two groups ( P>0.05 ) . Conclusions Oral nutritional supplements can improve treatment tolerance and keep the stability of serum protein level, nevertheless, it has no obvious advantage in maintenance of weight and short-term nutritional status

Prognostic Value and Staging Classification of Lymph Nodal Necrosis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma after Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‒determined lymph nodal necrosis (LNN) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and explore the feasibility of an N-classification system based on the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MRI scans of 616 patients with newly diagnosed stage T1-4N1-3M0 NPC who were treated with definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were reviewed. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed that LNN was an independent negative prognostic predictor of distant metastasis free survival (hazard ratio, 1.634; 95% confidence interval, 1.023 to 2.609; p=0.040) and overall survival (hazard ratio, 2.154; 95% confidence interval, 1.282 to 3.620; p=0.004). Patients of classification N1 disease with LNN were reclassified as classification N2, and classification N2 disease with LNN as classification N3 in the proposed N-classification system. Correlation with death and distant failure was significant, and the total difference between N1 and N3 was wider with the proposed system. CONCLUSION: MRI-determined LNN is an independent negative prognostic factor for NPC. The proposed N classification system is powerfully predictive.

Paranasal Sinus Invasion in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma after Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic significance of paranasal sinus invasion for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its suitable position in the T classification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 695 patients with previously untreated, biopsy-proven, non-metastatic NPC that was treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The incidence of paranasal sinus invasion was 39.4% (274 of 695 patients). Multivariate analysis showed that paranasal sinus invasion was an independent negative prognostic factor for local failure-free survival (LFFS) (p < 0.05). According to the eighth American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system, 275 patients were classified as T3 classification. Of these, 78 patients (28.4%) developed paranasal sinus invasion (T3b) and 197 (71.6%) didn't (T3a). The estimated 5-year LFFS and overall survival (OS) rates for the patients with T3b and T3a classification were 88.6% versus 95.0% (p=0.047), and 84.5% versus 93.3% (p=0.183), respectively. The estimated 5-year LFFS and OS rates for the patientswith T4 classificationwere 89.5% and 83.2%,whichwere similarwith the outcomes of patients with T3b classification. CONCLUSION: MRI-determined paranasal sinus invasion is an independent prognostic factor of NPC treated by IMRT. Paranasal sinus invasion is recommended to classify as T4 classification in the 8th AJCC staging system for NPC.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Detected Intracranial Extension in the T4 Classification Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma with Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted is to identify the prognostic value and staging categories of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–detected intracranial extension in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to determine whether it is necessary to subclassify the T4 classification NPC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 335 nonmetastatic T4 classification NPC patients with MRI treated between March 2004 and June 2011 by radical IMRT were included. The T4 classification patients were subclassified into two grades (T4a, without intracranial extension vs. T4b, with intracranial extension) according to the site of invasion. RESULTS: The frequency of intracranial extension was 40.9% (137 of 335 patients). Multivariate analysis identified subclassification (T4a vs. T4b) as an independent prognostic factor for local failure-free survival (p=0.049; hazard ratio [HR], 0.498) and overall survival (p=0.004; HR, 0.572); however, it had no effect on regional failure-free survival or distant failure-free survival (p > 0.050). CONCLUSION: For patients with T4 classification NPC, those with MRI-detected intracranial extension are more likely to experience local failure and death after IMRT than patients without intracranial extension. According to the site of invasion, subclassification of T4 patients as T4a or T4b has prognostic value in NPC.

Validation of T classifications in the 7th edition UICC staging system and recommendation of a simpliifed T classiifcations based on intensity-modulated radiotherapy / 中国癌症杂志

Background and purpose:The application of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has improved the local control rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma greatly, which changed the predictive value of T classiifca-tions of TNM staging system. This study aimed to validate the predictive effect of T classiifcations in the 7th Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) staging system and discuss the simpliifcation of T classiifcations.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 641 primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients at our center from January 2007 to June 2011. We evaluated the predictive effect of T classiifcations by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model.Results:The 5-year overall survival (OS), local relapse-free survival (LRFS), progression-free survival (PFS) and distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) were 85.4%, 88.5%, 78% and 87.1%, respectively. The 5-year OS of T1, T2, T3 and T4 categories were 91.6%, 85.3%, 90.1% and 76.5%, respectively; LRFS were 93%, 85.3%, 91.5% and 84.4%; PFS were 88.2%, 77.3%, 80.8% and 70.9%; DMFS were 95.1%, 88.9%, 88.2% and 81.3%, respectively. The difference in survival curves between T1, T2 and T3 were not signiifcant (P>0.05). However, several prognostic indexes were signiifcantly different between T4 and T1, T2, T3. We merged the T1, T2 and T3 classiifcations as new T1, and the T4 classiifcation as new T2. The 5-year OS of new T1 and T2 were 89.1% and 76.5% (P=0.001); LRFS were 90.1% and 84.4% (P=0.028); PFS were 81% and 70.9% (P=0.001); DMFS were 90.8% and 81.2% (P=0.002). The survival curves were substantially separated. The simpliifed T classiifcations had obvious advantages when separately analyzed in different N stages.Conclusion:In the era of IMRT, the predictive effect of T classiifcations of the 7th UICC staging system has diminished. The simpliifcation of T classiifcations can ift with the new treatment and provide a better surviv-al prediction.

Clinical analysis on primary salivary gland type nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics , therapeutic outcomes , and prognostic factors of primary salivary gland type nasopharyngeal carcinoma ( SNPC) . Methods The medical records of 54 patients with SNPC at single institution between 1963 and 2006 were reviewed, 2 patients received surgery alone, 30 patients received radiotherapy alone and 22 patients received combined modality therapy consisting of surgery (S) and radiotherapy ( RT) ( S + RT in 15 and RT + S in 7). Of them, 8 patients received chemotherapy , including post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy in 1 patient, palliative chemotherapy in 6 patients and concurrent chemotherapy in 1 patient. 36 patients had adenoid cystic carcinoma ( ACC) ,11 mucoepidermoid carcinoma ( MEC) , and 7 primary traditional adenocarcinoma ( AC) . The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall sunival ( OS) , locoregional failure-free survival ( LRFFS) , and distant failure-free survival ( DFFS) rates. Univariate analyses were performed using the Log-rank method.Comparisons of variables between cases were performed using Pearson chi-square test. Results The follow-up was 89％ . The 2-, and 5-year overall survival rates, loco-regional failure free survival rates and distant failure free survival rates were 85％ and 61％ , 74％ and 55％ , 92％ and 70％, respectively. Among the 35 patients with treatment failure, 26 patients had locoregional failure (1 in primary site and cervical lymph node ,23 in primary site and 2 in cervical lymph node) ,and 13 had distant metastasis. The lung was the most common site of metastasis ( n =10) , followed by liver (n = 3), bone ( n = 2) , brain ( n = 1) , and subcutaneous tissue ( n = 1) . Univariate analyses indicated that histological subtypes correlated with overall survival ( X2 = 15. 29, P = 0. 000) and cervial lymph node metastases correlated with distant failure-free survival ( X2 =9. 08 ,P = 0. 003) . Conclusions Primary salivary gland type nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a locally aggressive disease with a long course. The optimal treatment policy for patients with SNPC may be surgery plus radiotherapy.