Prognostic Factors of 612 Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Treated with Radiotherapy

Objective analysis of 612 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)treated by radiotherapy from January,1973 to December,1987 was done.The overall 5-year survival rate was 42.2%.Analysis showed that tumor stage,extra-cavitary extension,cervical node metastasis,cranial nerve involvement and dosage were the main signifi-cant prognostic factors.Gradual decrease of 5-year survival rate was seen from stage Ⅰ to Ⅳ,The 5-year survival rate was higher in patients with the tumor limited in nasopharynx than those with tumor extending out of nasopharynx(P＜0.01).The invasion of both anterior and posterior cranial never groups was the poorest.The size,region(ipsilateral of bilateral and upper or lower neck)and movability of the metastatic nodes could influence therapeutic results on NPC.The radiation dose ranged from 65-75Gy/6.5-7.5W.Distant metastasis and local recurrence were the main causes of treatment failure.