Long-term treatment outcome of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with salvage intensity modulated radiotherapy

Outcomes after reirradiation for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma: North American experience

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this article was to report outcomes of reirradiation for locoregionally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted of all patients with locoregionally recurrent NPC who received reirradiation between 2001 and 2012. Overall survival (OS), local control, regional control, distant control, and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) grades 3 to 4 late toxicity were examined.

RESULTS

A total of 42 recurrent cases treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT; 27 patients) or non-IMRT (stereotactic radiotherapy [RT], 12 patients; 3D conformal RT, 3 patients) were identified. Median time from initial RT to recurrence was 4.6 years. Hyperfractionation with 1.1 to 1.4 Gy/fraction twice daily to a total of 40 to 60 Gy was used in 27 IMRT and 5 non-IMRT patients. The remaining 10 patients received conventional fractionation 1.8 to 2.0 Gy/fraction to 50 to 60 Gy. Median follow-up was 3.0 years. The 3-year OS, local control, regional control, distant control, and late toxicity rates were 49%, 46%, 71%, 79%, and 37%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Reirradiation for recurrent NPC, delivered mostly with hyperfractionated IMRT, can result in durable disease control with acceptable late toxicity. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1102-E1109, 2016.

Analysis of the efficacy of intensity-modulated radiotherapy and two-dimensional conventional radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma with involvement of the cervical spine

The aim of the present study was to retrospectively analyze the clinical efficacy and side-effects of two-dimensional conventional radiotherapy (2D-CRT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in 53 NPC patients with cervical spine involvement, without distant metastases. In total, 53 patients were enrolled in the present study, with 24 being treated with IMRT and 29 being treated with 2D-CRT. All 53 patients received platinum-based concurrent chemotherapy and 4-6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy subsequent to radiation. The patients were clinically staged according to the seventh edition of the UICC and AJCC staging systems. Overall survival (OS), local progression-free survival (LPFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates were calculated. The 3- and 5-year OS rates were 87.7% and 45.5% in the IMRT-treated group and 65.5% and 9.1% in the 2D-CRT-treated group (P=0.01). The 3- and 5-year LPES rates were 87.4% and 69.9% in the IMRT-treated group compared with 49.4% and 9.4% in the 2D-CRT-treated group, respectively (P=0.00). The 3- and 5-year DMFS rates were 94.4 and 40.8% in the IMRT-treated group and 79.8 and 30.4% in the 2D-CRT-treated group (P=0.13). N stage (P=0.00) and radiotherapy methods (P=0.01) were relevant to the OS and LPFS rates, it also revealed a significant difference when the DMFS rates were analyzed in N stage. The incidence of dry mouth in the IMRT group was significantly lower (P=0.01), but there was no statistically significant difference in acute oropharyngeal mucositis or myelosuppression. IMRT had significant advantages in local control and OS compared with conventional 2D-CRT, but IMRT failed to reduce the incidence of distant metastasis.

Reirradiation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma focusing on volumetric modulated arcs with flattening filter-free beams

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to assess the role of flattening filter-free (FFF) beams in volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy for patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC).

METHODS

13 patients with rNPC were replanned for FFF RapidArc(®) (RA-FFF) and conventional RapidArc (RA) (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). Quantitative evaluation was performed for the planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs). Phantom dose verifications, treatment delivery time and monitor units (MUs) were also assessed.

RESULTS

Each technique delivered similar doses to the PTV. RA-FFF had a better sparing effect on the brain stem and normal tissue when compared with RA, whereas RA provided lower mean doses to the skin. No significant difference between the two techniques could be established for other OAR parameters. Both techniques showed equally good gamma scores in dosimetric verification. RA-FFF required more MUs than RA, whereas the delivery time for RA-FFF was slightly shorter than for RA.

CONCLUSION

Both treatment plans met the planning objectives. Dose measurements also showed good agreement with computed doses. In addition to slightly faster delivery times, RA-FFF produced better sparing of brain stem and normal tissue with uncompromised target coverage compared with RA.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

FFF beams have recently been assembled for clinical use. Our findings show RA-FFF is useful in the salvage treatment of rNPC owing to better brain stem and normal tissue sparing with uncompromised target coverage compared with RA. This may be beneficial in the case of tumour invasion close to the brain stem.

Impact of primary tumor volume and location on the prognosis of patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Introduction

The properties of a tumor itself were considered the main factors determining the survival of patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). However, recurrent tumors were mainly evaluated by using the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system, which was modeled on primary tumors and did not incorporate the tumor volume. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic values of the primary tumor location and tumor volume, and to determine whether evaluating these parameters could improve the current staging system.

Methods

Magnetic resonance (MR) images for 229 patients with locally recurrent NPC who underwent IMRT were analyzed retrospectively.

Results

The skull base, parapharyngeal space, and intracranial cavity were the most common sites of tumors. There was a difference in the survival between patients with T1 and T2 diseases (77.6 % vs. 50.0 %, P < 0.01) and those with T3 and T4 diseases (33.0 % vs. 18.0 %, P = 0.04) but no difference between patients with T2 and T3 diseases (50.0 % vs. 33.0 %, P = 0.18). Patients with a tumor volume ≤38 cm³ had a significantly higher survival rate compared with those with a tumor volume >38 cm³ (48.7 % vs. 15.2 %, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

A new staging system has been proposed, with T3 tumors being down-staged to T2 and with the tumor volume being incorporated into the staging, which may lead to an improved evaluation of these tumors. This new system can be used to guide the treatment strategy for different risk groups of recurrent NPC.

New surgical staging system for patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on the AJCC/UICC rTNM classification system

BACKGROUND

Recurrent tumour, node and metastasis (rTNM) stage system does not have an outstanding prognostic value for survival outcome of patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC) and it cannot aid the clinicians to choose the most suitable treatment for these patients.

METHODS

In total, 894 rNPC patients were consecutively enroled. All recurrent (r) tumour (T) stages (rT) and node (N) stages (rN) were stratified as resectable and unresectable based on the imaging data of the head and neck. These stages were re-subdivided into surgical T stages (sT) and surgical N stages (sN) with similar clinical characteristics and death risks and were re-integrated into a new 'surgical' stage using a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 72.0%, 55.1%, 21.1% and 10.1% in 'surgical' stages I, II, III and IV, respectively (P<0.001). The 'surgical' stage was a significant independent prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.78, P<0.001) and exhibited enhanced prognostic value compared with the rTNM staging system (area under receiver operating characteristics 0.68 versus 0.63, P<0.001). Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy were significant independent positive prognostic factors for the OS of patients with primary lesions in 'surgical' stage I/II and 'surgical' stage III, respectively (P<0.05). A combination of aggressive treatments for loco-regional lesions exhibited a beneficial trend for OS of patients with 'surgical' stage IV (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with the rTNM stage system, the 'surgical' staging system exhibited enhanced prognostic value for rNPC patient survival and could aid clinicians in choosing the most suitable treatment for rNPC patients.

Long-term survival and late complications in intensity-modulated radiotherapy of locally recurrent T1 to T2 nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

We investigated the feasibility of reirradiation with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for recurrent T1 to T2 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by assessing long-term survival and late complication rates.

METHODS

Sixty patients who had been previously irradiated were diagnosed with locally recurrent T1 to T2 NPC and underwent reirradiation with IMRT. Severe radiation toxicities were assessed.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time was 40.0 months. The 5-year local failure-free survival (LFFS), distant failure-free survival (DFFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 85.7%, 96.1%, and 67.2%, respectively. Independent prognostic factors included primary gross tumor volume >20 cm and the presence of significant complications. The most common severe complications were headache (31.6%), mucosal necrosis (30.0%), cranial neuropathy (25.0%), and temporal lobe necrosis (21.6%). Thirty-nine patients (65.0%) developed at least one severe complication and 18 patients died as a result.

CONCLUSION

Excellent disease control can be achieved by reirradiation with IMRT for recurrent T1 to T2 NPC. However, the main challenge remains severe late complications.

Prognostic significance of tumor volume in locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with salvage intensity-modulated radiotherapy

Introduction

To evaluate the prognostic value of gross tumor volume (TV) in patients with locally recurrent, nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Methods

Between 2001 and 2012, 291 consecutive patients with locally recurrent, nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma underwent salvage IMRT were retrospectively reviewed. The correlations between TV and recurrent T classification were analyzed. Survival analyses were performed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated to identify cut-off point of TV. The Akaike information criterion and Harrell’s concordance index (c-index) were utilized to test the prognostic value.

Results

The median TV significantly increased with advancing recurrent T classification (P<0.001). The 5-year overall survival rate was 33.2% for the entire cohort. On multivariate analysis, TV was an independent negative prognostic factor for distant metastasis-free survival (hazard ratio =1.013, P =0.003), overall survival (hazard ratio = 1.015, P<0.001) and toxicity-related death (hazard ratio = 1.014, P<0.001). The 5-year overall survival rates were 63.1% and 20.8% for patients with a TV < 22 cm³ and TV ≥22 cm³, respectively (P < 0.001). In patient with TV <22 cm³, locoregional failure is the leading cause of death. In patients with TV≥22 cm³, distant metastasis rate is higher and occurred within short term after local recurrence; meanwhile, radiation-induced injuries became more common and led to half of deaths in this group. The Akaike information criterion and c-index analyses indicated that the predictive ability of recurrent T classification improved when combined with TV.

Conclusions

Our data suggests TV is a significant prognostic factor for predicting the distant metastasis, overall survival and toxicity-related death of patients with locally recurrent, nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma after salvage IMRT. TV should be considered when designing personalized salvage treatments for these patients. For patients with bulky local recurrent tumor, radiation may need to be de-emphasized in favor of systemic treatment or best supportive care.

Different prognostic values of plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA and maximal standardized uptake value of 18F-FDG PET/CT for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with recurrence

PURPOSE

To evaluate and compare the prognostic value of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA and maximal standard uptake values (SUVmax ) of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) in subgroups of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients with locoregional or distant recurrence.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 194 patients with recurrent NPC (locoregional recurrence: 107, distant recurrence: 87) were enrolled. Patients took evidence of recurrence performed with 18F-FDG-PET and an EBV DNA test before salvage treatment. Clinical parameters, the status of EBV DNA and the value of SUVmax were used for survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards regression model.

RESULTS

In the subgroup of patients with locoregional recurrence, patients with SUVmax<8.65 had significantly better overall survival (OS) (P=0.005) compared with the patients with SUVmax ≥8.65. However, both elevated EBV DNA load (≥21,100 copies/ml) and distant SUVmax (≥13.55) were significantly associated with worse OS compared with the patients with EBV DNA <21,100 copies/ml or distant SUVmax <13.55 for the subgroup with distant recurrence (P=0.015 and P=0.006, respectively). The predictive ability of EBV DNA was superior to that of SUVmax (P=0.062). Multivariate analysis showed that SUVmax was only an independent prognostic factor for OS in patients with locoregional recurrence (P=0.042), whereas EBV DNA independently predicted OS for the patients with distant recurrence (P=0.007). For those patients with undetectable EBV DNA, SUVmax<8.65 was still an independent favorable prognostic factor (P=0.038).

CONCLUSIONS

SUVmax is a useful biomarker for predicting OS in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with locoregional recurrence or with undetectable EBV DNA. Both distant SUVmax and EBV DNA appear to be independent predictors of OS in patients with distant recurrence; however, the predictive ability of EBV DNA was superior to that of SUVmax.

Advantages of intensity modulated radiotherapy in recurrent T1-2 nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a retrospective study

Background

Recurrent T1-2 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (rT1-2) may be salvaged by 3D – CRT (3D-Conformal Radiotherapy), IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy), Brachytherapy (BT), BT with external radiotherapy. The purpose of this study is to address the efficacy and toxicity profile of aforementioned four modalities for rT1-2 NPC.

Methods

168 patients, median age 48 years (range 16–75 years) proven rT1-2 NPC were diagnosed and treated with four different irradiation modalities (3D-CRT, IMRT, BT, BT with external radiotherapy). Median time to recurrence was 30 months (range 1–180 months). The median follow-up time was 28 months (range, 4–135 months).

Results

161 patients completed a median dose of 6445 cGy (ranging 30 to 87 Gy). Seven patients prematurely terminated their treatment due to acute side-effects and received 30–49 Gy. The 1- and 3-year local regional recurrent free survival (LRRFS), distant free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 82.03% vs. 82.03% vs. 82.58%, 51.33% vs. 51.33% vs. 53.41, respectively. Gender and recurrence T-classification were the two significant adverse prognostic factors for LRRFS, DFS, and OS rates. Grade 3 or 4 toxicities were tolerable.

Conclusion

3D-CRT, IMRT, BT, BT with external radiotherapy are feasible and efficacious for rT1-2 NPC. In toxicity 3D-CRT/IMRT group is lower than BT group. IMRT is superior for rT1-2 NPC.

Salvage endoscopic nasopharyngectomy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy versus conventional radiotherapy in treating locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Although endoscopic nasopharyngectomy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) have been reported to be useful in treating isolated local recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), their efficacy needs to be revaluated with comparison to 2D conventional radiotherapy (RT).

METHODS

Four hundred ten patients with recurrent NPC were retrospectively analyzed, among whom the patients underwent IMRT, endoscopic nasopharyngectomy, and 2D conventional RT.

RESULTS

The 5-year overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis-free survival were significantly higher in endoscopic nasopharyngectomy and IMRT groups than in 2D conventional RT group both in the entire series and in the subgroup of patients with recurrent T1 to 2 NPC (p < .05), except in the subgroup of recurrent T3 to 4 stratifications (IMRT vs 2D conventional RT; 28.8% vs 16.8%; p = .351). Furthermore, endoscopic nasopharyngectomy was associated with better OS than IMRT in the recurrent T1 to 2 subgroup (79.2% vs 62.1%; p = .007). Multivariate analysis indicated therapeutic modality was an independent predictor of OS and distant metastasis-free survival (p < .001).

CONCLUSION

Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy and IMRT are associated with an improved OS and distant metastasis-free survival of patients with recurrent NPC compared to 2D conventional RT in early recurrent disease.

Postirradiated carotid blowout syndrome in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a case-control study

BACKGROUND

Carotid blowout syndrome is one of the most devastating complications of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) therapy.

METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted from January 2004 to April 2013. Thirty-one patients with carotid blowout syndrome were enrolled and a case control study was conducted to analyze the risk factors.

RESULTS

When a comparison was made between the carotid blowout syndrome and matched non-bleeding group, there was a significantly higher local recurrence rate and prevalence of skull base osteoradionecrosis (ORN) in the carotid blowout syndrome group compared to those of the control group (both p < .001). The hazard ratio of carotid blowout syndrome was 3.599 between patients with or without reirradiation (95% confidence interval, 1.465-8.839; p = .005, adjusted for nasopharyngectomy and chemotherapy) using a Cox proportional hazard model.

CONCLUSION

Reirradiation and skull base ORN are strong predisposing factors for carotid blowout syndrome, and therefore they should be mentioned in the informed consent form before treatment.

Clinical observation and quality of life in terms of nasal sinusitis after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: long-term results from different nasal irrigation techniques

OBJECTIVE

The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between nasal irrigation techniques (NIT) and the survival rate and the quality of life (QOL) in patients with nasal sinusitis (NS).

METHODS

We studied data from 1134 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who received radical radiotherapy, which were randomly divided into three groups (A, B and C). Group A used nasal irrigator; Group B used homemade nasal irrigation (NI) connector combined with enemator; and Group C used nasal sprayer. The clinical effects, 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were observed. Furthermore, the QOL in patients with NS was evaluated using the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 20.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time was 69 months. The 5-year OS and PFS were 80.5% and 73.2%, respectively, for all patients. There was no significant difference in OS, PFS, xerostomia and neck skin toxicity grade 3 and greater among groups. There was no difference among groups. The incidence of NS was the highest in group C.

CONCLUSION

The symptoms of NS seriously affected the QOL period of 1 year. Group C showed no improvement during the follow-up period, which for A and B, by contrast, had after 1 year. Although the exact mechanism remains to be explored in NIT, our findings suggest that patients with NPC should nasal irrigate for 2 years after radiotherapy.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

Our study shows that a nasal irrigator is necessary for patients with NPC for a high QOL in terms of NS.

Prognostic model for survival of local recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma with intensity-modulated radiotherapy

Background:

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the main salvage treatment for advanced locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); however, survival outcomes vary. We aimed to construct a prognostic-score model to identify patients who could benefit from salvage IMRT.

Methods:

This retrospective study involved 251 patients with locally recurrent NPC. The following parameters were analysed following IMRT: patient performance status, age, gender, late complications, T-stage of recurrence, synchronous nodal recurrence, primary gross tumour volume (GTV-nx), disease-free interval, re-irradiation dose and chemotherapy. The model was based on the hazard ratio coefficients of six significantly negative prognostic factors for survival.

Results:

Significantly negative prognostic factors included Karnofsky Performance Status ⩽70, age >50 years, late complications, recurrent T_3–4 stage, synchronous nodal recurrence and GTV-nx >30 cm³. Three subgroups were defined according to model scores: low risk (0–4), intermediate risk (5–8) and high risk (9–15). The 5-year overall survival rates were 64.3%, 32.2% and 7.7%, respectively. The main cause of death was radiation-induced complications.

Conclusion:

The prognostic-score model demonstrated that re-irradiation with IMRT is suitable for low-risk and intermediate-risk patients but may be unsuitable for high-risk patients. Further research into the protection of critical adjacent organs to reduce late complications in these patients is warranted.

Current treatment options for local residual nasopharyngeal carcinoma

OPINION STATEMENT

Local residual disease occurs in 7-13 % after primary treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). To prevent tumor progression and/or distant metastasis, treatment is indicated. Biopsy is the "gold standard" for diagnosing residual disease. Because late histological regression frequently is seen after primary treatment for NPC, biopsy should be performed when imaging or endoscopy is suspicious at 10 weeks. Different modalities can be used in the treatment of local residual disease. Interestingly, the treatment of residual disease has better outcomes than treatment of recurrent disease. For early-stage disease (rT1-2), treatment results and survival rates are very good and comparable to patients who had a complete response after the first treatment. Surgery (endoscopic or open), brachytherapy (interstitial or intracavitary), external or stereotactic beam radiotherapy, or photodynamic therapy all have very good and comparable response rates. Choice should depend on the extension of disease, feasibility of the treatment, and doctor's and patient's preferences and experience, as well as the risks of the adverse events. For the more extended tumors, choice of treatment is more difficult, because complete response rates are poorer and severe side effects are not uncommon. The results of external beam reirradiation and stereotactic radiotherapy are better than brachytherapy for T3-4 tumors. Photodynamic therapy resulted in good palliative responses in a few patients with extensive disease. Also, chemotherapeutics or the Epstein-Barr virus targeted therapies can be used when curative intent treatment is not feasible anymore. However, their advantage in isolated local failure has not been well described yet. Because residual disease often is a problem in countries with a high incidence of NPC and limited radiotherapeutic and surgical facilities, it should be understood that most of the above mentioned therapeutic modalities (radiotherapy and surgery) will not be readily available. More research with controlled, randomized trials are needed to find realistic treatment options for residual disease.

Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a clinical dilemma and challenge

Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which represents a small proportion of head-and-neck cancers, has a unique set of patho-clinical characteristics. The management of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma remains a challenging clinical problem. Traditional treatments offer limited local control and survival benefits; more seriously, they frequently induce severe late complications. Recently, novel treatment techniques and strategies-including precision radiotherapy, endoscopic surgery or transoral robotic resection, third-generation chemotherapy regimens, and targeted therapies and immunotherapy-have provided new hope for patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Some of these patients can potentially be cured with modern treatments. However, a lack of adequate evidence makes it difficult for clinicians to apply these powerful techniques and strategies. Individualized management guidelines, full evaluation of quality of life in these patients, and a further understanding of the mechanisms underlying recurrence are future directions for research into recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Radioactive ¹²⁵I seed inhibits the cell growth, migration, and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by triggering DNA damage and inactivating VEGF-A/ERK signaling

Although radiotherapy technology has progressed rapidly in the past decade, the inefficiency of radiation and cancer cell resistance mean that the 5-year survival rate of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is low. Radioactive ¹²⁵I seed implantation has received increasing attention as a clinical treatment for cancers. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is one of the most important members of the VEGF family and plays an important role in cell migration through the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. Here we show that radioactive ¹²⁵I seeds more effectively inhibit NPC cell growth through DNA damage and subsequent induction of apoptosis, compared with X-ray irradiation. Moreover, cell migration was effectively inhibited by ¹²⁵I seed irradiation through VEGF-A/ERK inactivation. VEGF-A pretreatment significantly blocked ¹²⁵I seed irradiation-induced inhibition of cell migration by recovering the levels of phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) protein. Interestingly, in vivo study results confirmed that ¹²⁵I seed irradiation was more effective in inhibiting tumor growth than X-ray irradiation. Taken together, these results suggest that radioactive ¹²⁵I seeds exert novel anticancer activity by triggering DNA damage and inactivating VEGF-A/ERK signaling. Our finding provides evidence for the efficacy of ¹²⁵I seeds for treating NPC patients, especially those with local recurrence.

Emerging treatment options for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is endemic in Asia and is etiologically associated with Epstein–Barr virus. Radiotherapy is the primary treatment modality. The role of systemic therapy has become more prominent. Based on multiple phase III studies and meta-analyses, concurrent cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy is the current standard of care for locally advanced disease (American Joint Committee on Cancer manual [7th edition] stages II–IVb). The reported failure-free survival rates from phase II trials are encouraging for induction + concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Data from ongoing phase III trials comparing induction + concurrent chemoradiotherapy with concurrent chemoradiotherapy will validate the results of these phase II studies. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy techniques are recommended if the resources are available. Locoregional control exceeding 90% and reduced xerostomia-related toxicities can now be achieved using intensity-modulated radiotherapy, although distant control remains the most pressing research problem. The promising results of targeted therapy and Epstein–Barr virus-specific immunotherapy from early clinical trials should be validated in phase III clinical trials. New technology, more effective and less toxic chemotherapy regimens, and targeted therapy offer new opportunities for treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma.