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DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-977470
Copyright © 2007 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.
Salvage Surgery for Recurrent Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Publication History
Publication Date:
04 May 2007 (online)

ABSTRACT
Objectives: To present our experience of salvage surgery for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma after primary treatment by radiotherapy. Patients and methods: Eleven of 25 patient treated for nasopharyngeal carcinoma between 1990 and 2003 with radiotherapy had either residual or recurrent disease and underwent salvage surgery. The type C infratemporal fossa approach was used to access residual tumor. The patients' progress was followed by clinical examination and interval magnetic resonance scans. Outcome measures and results: The results were analyzed in terms of morbidity and oncological outcome; patients were recorded as NED (no existing disease), AWD (alive with disease), and DOD (died of disease). A disease-free survival rate of 72% was achieved in the salvage surgery group of patients and an overall disease-free survival rate of 56% applied to the initial cohort of 25 patients, following both the single mode and combined treatment. Conclusion: Salvage surgery is feasible for patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma and may be achieved with minimal morbidity using the type C infratemporal fossa approach.
KEYWORDS
Salvage surgery - nasopharyngeal carcinoma - recurrent tumors of the skull base
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Giovanni DanesiM.D.
ENT Department and Microsurgery of the Skull Base, Ospedali Riuniti, Bergamo Largo Barozzi 1
24100 Bergamo, Italy
Email: giodanesi@libero.it