Oral chemotherapy versus observation alone in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with persistently detected circulating cell-free Epstein-Barr virus DNA during follow-up

More than 20% patients with non-disseminated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) develop recurrence after radical chemoradiotherapy, which is the main cause of treatment failure and death.[1,2] Despite the use of aggressive salvage treatment strategies such as systemic chemotherapy, the cure rate for recurrent NPC was extremely low, with a median progression-free survival duration reported as only 5.6 –7.0 months.[3] The effect of chemotherapy may be proportional to the tumor burden. Therefore, timely detection of recurrence signs and accordingly administering more aggressive treatment might improve survival outcomes.
Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research