Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Children, Current Treatment Approach

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare and locally aggressive form of childhood cancer. Treatment of pediatric NPC includes chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Most studies on the treatment of pediatric NPC are single-arm studies. With current treatment protocols survival rates for patients with nonmetastatic disease exceed 80%, although most children will have long-term treatment-related late effects. Efforts to reduce early and late toxicities include reduced radiotherapy doses in children with good responses to induction chemotherapy. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of immunotherapy in both the primary setting and in children with progressive or relapsed disease. This review summarizes current clinical approaches to the treatment of pediatric NPC.