[Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: multidisciplinary treatment]

One hundred and twenty-eight cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated at National Cancer Institute of Naples from 1980 to 1992 were retrospectively studied in order to evaluate the effectiveness of radio and chemotherapy. The histological types were the following: 75 cases of undifferentiated carcinoma, 49 cases of squamocellular carcinoma, 3 cases of lymphoma and 1 case of chordoma. Four cases were classified as Stage I (UICC 1977), 10 cases Stage II, 30 cases Stage III and 84 cases Stage IV. The patients were classified in four groups in relation to the treatment given: group A: 46 patients treated with radical radiotherapy alone; group B: 45 patients treated with radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy (VCA); group C: 13 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CABO); group D: 24 patients treated with alternating radio-chemotherapy (CDDP-5FU) in the period between 1990-1992. The overall actuarial survival rate in all groups was 59% at three years and 52% at five years. There was a significative difference in survival actuarial rates between group A and B: the three-year survival rate was 54% in group A vs 46% in group B and the five-year survival rate was 43% vs 35%. In group D complete remission was obtained in 62.5% of the cases and partial remission in 25% of the cases. In conclusion the use of chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy appeared to significantly increase the chance of long-term survival and probable healing.