REVIEW ON CHEMORADIOTHERAPY IN NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA STAGE IIB

Abstract

International treatment guidelines of both National Comprehensive Cancer Network and European Head & Neck Society, European Society for Medical Oncology, European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (EHNS-ESMO-ESTRO) recommended radiotherapy alone for stage I, IIA and use of chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy for stage IIB-IVB nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The outcome of stage III-IVB nasopharyngeal carcinoma was demonstrated. For stage IIB, although many researchers believed that radiotherpy alone was not enough to control metastasis, there are controversies about the efficacy of chemoradiation combination as well as which combination form is most suitable (neoadjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy, concurrent chemoradiotherapy with or without adjuvant chemotherapy).