Clinical analysis of late-course accelerated hyperfractionation radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Objective To evaluate the clinical result and the major toxic effects of late-course accelerated hyperfrationation(LCAF)radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)patients.Methods 86 NPC patients were divided into LCAF radiotherapy and conventional fractionation(CF)group.Forty-there patients in CF group received conventional radiotherapy:2.0Gy/f,5 fractions a week to a total dose of 70Gy in 47～49 days.Forty-there patients in LCAF group were treated with the same fractionation as CF group until the dose of 36～40Gy,and the followed by LCAF radiotherapy:1.25～1.35Cy/f,twice daily with 6 hour interval between the two fractions,to the total dose of 75～76.5Gy in 45～48 days.Results The 1-,3-,5-year local control rates were 95.3%,90.1%,86.0%in the LCAF goup and 90.7%,72.1%,65.1% in the CF group,with the difference between the two groups significant(P0.05).The 1-,3-,5-year survival rates were 97.7%,72.1%,53.5%;in the LCAF group and 95.3%,69.8,48.8% in CF group,without the difference between the two group(P0.05),without finding any significant difference in majortoxic between there two groups.Conclusins The local control rate of NPC treated by LCAF radiotherapy is superior to CF. However there is no significant difference in the survival rates between the two groups.