ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to identify the histopathology, location, and latency
interval for the development of second malignant tumors (SMT) after successful treatment
for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Of 55 patients, four developed SMT after successful
treatment of NPC in a single institutional series for an incidence of 7%. An additional
31 patients with SMT after treatment for NPC were identified from the literature.
At minimum, all patients were treated with radiotherapy to the primary site. The histopathology
of SMT included sarcoma (69%), squamous cell carcinoma (17%), adenocarcinoma (6%),
meningioma (6%), and lymphoma (3%). SMT occurred at various sites in the head and
neck, but most (51%) arose in the sinonasal cavity. For the entire group, the mean
latency interval between treatment for NPC and the development of SMT was 11.8 years.
These findings indicate that the development of SMT in patients achieving long-term
survival after treatment for NPC may be radiation induced. Long-term follow-up for
these patients is important to assess for this potentially late complication.
KEYWORDS
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma - second malignant tumors