Clinical Analysis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Treated by Combined External Irradiation and Intracavitary Brachytherapy of High Dose Rate

To analyse the survival rate and local control rate of the stage Ⅱand Ⅲ nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated by combined external irradiation and intracavitary brachytherapy. From October 1993 to October 1994,148 stage Ⅱand Ⅲ NPC patients were treated.Seventy four patients was treated with combined external radiation and intracavitary brachytherapy (combination radiotherapy group)and 74 patients ,external therapy alone (control group).The 1_,3_,5_year survival rates were compared between 2 groups respectively and the 5_year survival rate in stage Ⅱpatients with T/N staging was compared too. The 5_year local control rate of combination radiotherapy group was 81.1%,and that of control group,62.2%.There was significant difference between them(P0.01). In the stage Ⅱ NPC patients group,the 5_year survival rate of combination radiotherapy group was 76.9%,while in the control group,57.6%(P0.05). In the stageⅡgroup,the 5_year survival rate of T1 NPC patients of combination radiotherapy group was much higher than that of control group. In the stage Ⅲ NPC patients group,there was no difference in the 1_,3_,5_year survival rates between the combination radiotherapy group and control group.[Conclusion]The external irradiation and brachytherapy can obviously improve the local control rate of NPC patients,and can also improve the 5_year survival rate of T1 NPC patients with the stageⅡbut not in stage Ⅲpatients,no matter short or long term survival.