Malignant tumours of the nasopharynx

A series of 115 patients with malignant tumours of the nasopharynx were primarily irradiated. All the cases of carcinoma were TNM classified in retrospect. 60Co irradiation appeared to afford a somewhat better prognosis than conventional irradiation previously used. The 5-year crude survival rate for the patients with lymphoma and with carcinoma was 40.0 per cent and 23.8 per cent respectively. A distinctly better prognosis was found for women than for men and the prognosis was independent of whether or not lymph node metastases were present. There seems to be no indication for maintaining lympho-epithelial carcinoma as a special group of tumour. Surgical procedures are rarely indicated in the treatment of malignant nasopharyngeal tumours.