No abstract

Data from 119 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who were under 30 years of age were retrospectively analyzed by the investigators of the Children's Cancer Study Group. The overall five-year survival and relapse-free survival rates from diagnosis were 51 and 36%, respectively. When the tumor was confined to the nasopharynx (1 + T2, 41 patients), the five-year survival was 75%. No significant correlation was found between survival or local recurrence and the radiation dose to the primary site. The five-year survival from relapse was 37% for 21 reirradiated patients with local and/or regional relapse compared with 11% for 45 patients with other forms of relapse. It is concluded that the optimal radiation dose for tumor eradication in young patients is now known.