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OBJECTIVE To evaluate radiotherapy dose and length of treatment in the control of early stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with a combination of external radiotherapy and brachytherapy, METHODS We reviewed the records of 133 patients with early stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (stage I or II, AJC/UICC staging system) who received definitive radiotherapy in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from 1979 to 1991. The median follow-up time was 7.1 years with a minimum of 2 years. All patients were treated with megavoltage external radiotherapy to the nasopharynx area (63-72 Gy) followed by high dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy (5-16.5 Gy in one to three fractions, spaced 1-2 weeks apart). The median total dose and time of irradiation was 75 Gy (69.8-81.4 Gy) and 11.6 weeks (7.8-20 weeks) respectively. Survival analysis was used to examine the effect of several variables on prognosis. RESULTS The 5-year rates were 86.4% for local control, 84.7% for disease free survival, 88.5% for actuarial survival and 84.2% for overall survival. The treatment group (combination of time and dose of irradiation) was the most important prognostic factor according to Cox's proportional hazard model. Patients receiving radiation at a total dose of < or = 75 Gy completed in < 12 weeks showed the best prognosis. CONCLUSIONS Treatment time and total treatment dose are both important factors in treating early stage NPC. Decreasing the total radiation time to < 12 weeks and not exceeding a radiation dose of 75 Gy gave the best results.
J T Chang, and
L C See, and
C T Liao, and
L H Chen, and
W M Leung, and
S W Chen, and
W C Chen
May 2000,
Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology,
J T Chang, and
L C See, and
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W M Leung, and
S W Chen, and
W C Chen
January 1999,
Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden),
J T Chang, and
L C See, and
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L H Chen, and
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January 2000,
International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics,
J T Chang, and
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C T Liao, and
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W M Leung, and
S W Chen, and
W C Chen
October 2022,
Cancer communications (London, England),
J T Chang, and
L C See, and
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S W Chen, and
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April 2004,
International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics,
J T Chang, and
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July 2009,
International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics,
J T Chang, and
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April 2004,
Zhonghua zhong liu za zhi [Chinese journal of oncology],
J T Chang, and
L C See, and
C T Liao, and
L H Chen, and
W M Leung, and
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W C Chen
July 1995,
Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology,
J T Chang, and
L C See, and
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W M Leung, and
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October 2004,
Cancer,
J T Chang, and
L C See, and
C T Liao, and
L H Chen, and
W M Leung, and
S W Chen, and
W C Chen
January 2016,
BioMed research international,
