Carcinoma of the nasopharynx. A 25-year study

Between 1958-1983, 79 patients with a diagnosis of epithelial tumor of the nasopharynx received definitive irradiation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Seventy-two percent of the patients had a Stage IV lesion. The dose to the nasopharynx was over 6,000 cGy in all but four patients. The 5- and 10-year actuarial survivals were 33% and 19% respectively. The 5-year disease-free survival was 33%. Histology had no bearing on survival. Survival was influenced by the stage of primary tumor and nodes. Advanced nodal disease correlated with distant metastasis, being present in 13/15 cases with hematogenous spread.