[Results from the treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma constitute 0.3% all malignancies in Poland. These tumors still pose a complex diagnostic problem. Intracranial structures and facial skeleton have not been accessible for X-ray imaging so far. Improvement o imaging techniques, fibroscopy, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging allows for gathering new data which influence diagnostics and treatment planning in this difficult anatomical localization. Development of radiotherapy techniques allows for decreasing of radio-reaction and neighbouring structure damage. 188 patient were included in this series and divided into two subgroups: I--128 patients treated between 1980-1990 and II--60 patients between 1991-1995. The diagnostics and treatment methods differs in both subgroups. It was connected with new imaging techniques, therapeutic equipment as well as combination of radiotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The authors present the latest diagnostic and therapeutic methods which are currently applied in ENT Dept. Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences and Wielkopolskie Centrum Onkologii with review of literature devoted to the progress in diagnostics, treatment planning and modern radiotherapy techniques.