Efficacy of Concurrent Chemotherapy for Intermediate Risk NPC in the Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Era: a Propensity-Matched Analysis

Sci Rep. 2015 Nov 27;5:17378. doi: 10.1038/srep17378.

Abstract

This study is to evaluate the efficacy of additional concurrent chemotherapy for intermediate risk (stage II and T3N0M0) NPC patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).440 patients with intermediate risk NPC were studied retrospectively, including 128 patients treated with IMRT alone [radiotherapy group (RT group)] and 312 paitents treated with IMRT plus concurrent chemotherapy [chemoradiotherapy group (CRT group)]. Propensity score matching was carried out to create RT and CRT cohorts equally matched for host and tumor factor. Significantly more severe acute toxicities were observed in the CRT group than in the RT group. Multivariate analyses of 440 patients failed to demonstrate concurrent chemotherapy as an independent prognostic factor for FFS, LR-FFS, and D-FFS. Between the well-matched RT cohort and the CRT cohort, no significant difference was demonstrated in all survival endpoints (FFS: 92.8% versus 91.2%, P = 0.801; LR-FFS: 95.2% versus 94.4%, P = 0.755; D-FFS: 96.4% versus 96.3%, P = 0.803; OS: 98.2% versus 98.9%, P = 0.276). Our results demonstrated that for patients with intermediate risk NPC treated with IMRT, additional concurrent chemotherapy did not provide any significant survival benefit but significantly more severe acute toxicities. However, prospective randomized trials are warranted for the ultimate confirm of our findings.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Carboplatin / therapeutic use
  • Carcinoma / diagnosis
  • Carcinoma / mortality
  • Carcinoma / pathology
  • Carcinoma / therapy*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cisplatin / therapeutic use
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Docetaxel
  • Female
  • Gamma Rays / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / mortality
  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Organoplatinum Compounds / therapeutic use
  • Prognosis
  • Risk
  • Survival Analysis
  • Taxoids / therapeutic use
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Organoplatinum Compounds
  • Taxoids
  • Docetaxel
  • nedaplatin
  • Carboplatin
  • Cisplatin