Overall survival after concurrent cisplatin-radiotherapy compared with radiotherapy alone in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005 Apr 6;97(7):536-9. doi: 10.1093/jnci/dji084.

Abstract

This phase III randomized study compared concurrent cisplatin-radiotherapy (CRT) versus radiotherapy (RT) alone in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A total of 350 patients were randomly assigned to receive external RT alone or concurrently with cisplatin at a dosage of 40 mg/m(2) weekly. The primary endpoint was overall survival, and the median follow-up was 5.5 years. The 5-year overall survival was 58.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 50.9% to 66.2%) for the RT arm and 70.3% (95% CI = 63.4% to 77.3%) for the CRT arm. In Cox regression analysis adjusted for T stage, age, and overall stage, the difference in overall survival was statistically significantly in favor of concurrent CRT (P = .049, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.71 [95% CI = 0.5 to 1.0]). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that there was no difference between overall survival in the arms for T1/T2 stage (P = .74, HR = 0.93 [95% CI = 0.59 to 1.4]), whereas there was a difference between the arms for T3/T4 stage (P = .013, HR = 0.51 [95% CI = 0.3 to 0.88]), favoring the CRT arm. The regimen of weekly concurrent CRT is a promising standard treatment strategy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Clinical Trial, Phase III
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Cisplatin / administration & dosage
  • Cisplatin / therapeutic use*
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / radiotherapy*
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Radiotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Survival Analysis
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Cisplatin