Salvage photodynamic therapy for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma

To evaluate the feasibility of photodynamic therapy (NP-PDT) in the palliative management of recurrent/persistent nasopharyngeal cancer (NFC).

Six patients with persistent/recurrent NPC underwent PDT with palliative intent. NP-PDT was delivered by three different methods depending on the localization, size and depth of the lesion: type I NP-PDT: transnasal direct illumination of postero-superior recurrence; type II NP-PDT: transnasal direct illumination of the whole nasopharynx; type III NP-PDT: transoral direct or interstitial illumination of lateral recurrence. In this case, the ENT-magnetic navigation system (MNS) was extremely useful in identifying the tumor and its distance from the ICA.

Both patients treated with NP-PDT type I are free from disease at 38 and 71 months after treatment; both patients treated with NP-PDT type II experienced further local and loco-regional recurrence of disease within 16 months; one died of the disease while the second underwent a second palliative treatment, NP-PDT type I, and is currently living with the disease; of the two patients who underwent NP-PDT type III, one died as a result of regional and systemic recurrence without local recurrence while the second experienced a superficial recurrence. He underwent a second NP-PDT type III treatment and is currently free from disease at 21 months.

NP-PDT is a non-invasive and simple treatment modality that may have an important role in the treatment of selected cases of persistent/recurrent NPC in its early stage, not suitable for a conventional therapeutic protocol. Coupling NP-PDT with the ENT-MNS can be an effective strategy to obtain more precise light delivery within the tumor, particularly in lateral and parapharyngeal localization.