Analysis of outcomes and prognostic factors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients treated by MCP841 protocol: A regional cancer center experience.

BACKGROUND: A dramatic improvement in the survival of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients in the last three decades has been observed. MCP 841 protocol is an old but effective tool with tolerable toxicities. The objective of this study was to estimate the relapse-free survival of ALL patients treated uniformly with MCP 841 protocol on the basis of various prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study design was retrospective and it was conducted in a regional cancer center of Northwest India. Three hundred and ten ALL patients who underwent treatment with MCP 841 protocol and regular follow-up for up to 5 years were selected for this study. Relapse-free survival was calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the hazards ratio (HR) using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software for windows version 20.0. RESULTS: Fifty-four percent patients were <15 years of age and 69% were males. 53.2% patients were in remission at the end of 5 years of starting the treatment. Relapse-free survival at 5 years by Kaplan-Meir analysis for B-cell ALL was 62% [HR 0.67 {95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47-0.95}] with patients with unknown lineage taken as reference] while for T cell it was 28% [HR 1.41 (95% CI 1.19-1.63), P 0.001]. Patients with total leukocyte count (TLC) <1 lakh/cmm at presentation, relapse-free survival was 68% and those with TLC >1 lakh/cmm had 41% survival [HR 2.14 (1.76-2.48) with, P < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: MCP 841 protocol is a useful tool for the treatment of ALL in children when more aggressive protocols can not be used.

Comparison of single versus multiple fractions for palliative treatment of painful bone metastasis: first study from north west India.

BACKGROUND: Bone metastasis is a usual cause of pain in advanced cancer. Conventional radiation schedules require larger hospital stay and thus are not suitable for patients with poor general condition. This prospective observational study aims to compare the pain-relieving efficacy of different radiation fractionation schedules, i.e., 8 Gy administered in a single fraction versus 30 Gy administered in 10 fractions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and fifty consecutive patients of bone metastasis were evaluated for the study, with 63 patients being excluded due to non-fulfillment of the inclusion criteria. The response to radiotherapy leading to pain relief as per the Visual Analog Scale was recorded at the end of treatment, 8 days, 15 days and 1 month during the follow-up visits. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of the patients received a single fraction while the remaining received 10 fractions. In the 10-fraction group, overall response was present in 60% of the patients. Stable pain was present in 23% of the patients while 9% patients had progressive pain. At 1 month of completion of treatment, 9% patients were lost to follow-up. In the single-fraction arm, overall response was seen in 58%, stable pain in 27% and progressive pain in 7% of the patients. Six percent of the patients were lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Single-fraction treatment for bony metastasis is as effective as multiple fractions to relieve bony pain and provides treatment convenience to both the patient and the caregiver.

Analysis of patterns of palliative radiotherapy in north west India: a regional cancer center experience.

BACKGROUND: Palliative radiotherapy (PRT) is the eventual requirement in 30-50% of all cancer patients. PRT is primarily aimed to relieve pain and prevent/treat collapse or fracture in case of bone metastasis, to reduce edema in patients with cranial metastasis, and to control distressing symptoms of rapid primary growth. An audit of PRT planned in a busy cancer center can help in the characterization of the requirements of the patients and the formulation of institutional policies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 516 patients who received PRT in our regional cancer center from January 2012 to December 2012 and whose complete records were available for analysis were selected for this retrospective study. Medical records and radiotherapy files were analyzed to obtain data such as sociodemographic parameters, prescription of PRT, and follow up. Descriptive statistics were evaluated in terms of frequencies and percentages to allow comparisons. RESULTS: Of the 516 patients, 73% patients were male; the median age of the patients receiving PRT was 62 years (range 13-83 years). About 48% (n = 248) patients received PRT at the primary site while rest (52%) were given PRT at the metastatic site. The most common indication of PRT was pain (56.8% cases), followed by cytostatic PRT (19.8%) and raised ICT (12.4%). The median dose prescribed was 30 Gy (range 8-36 Gy) delivered in 1-12 fractions over the duration of 1-18 days. The overall response rate was about 43% at 2 weeks of completion of PRT; the median follow-up of the patients was 154 days (range 9-256 days). The long-term symptom relief at median follow up was 8%. CONCLUSIONS: Good clinical judgment and expertise is required in prescribing correct fractionation schedule to achieve effective symptom palliation with lowest possible cost and inconvenience to the patients and relatives. Hypofractionated radiotherapy is a feasible treatment option in patients with advanced incurable disease to achieve effective palliation.

Analysis of sociodemographic parameters of patients admitted in a newly established palliative care center in a regional cancer institute of north-west India.

BACKGROUND: After 4 months of the establishment of palliative care center (PCC) in our institute, we present an audit of the sociodemographic parameters of admitted patients. Such an audit can help to recognize the lacuna in the management and thus help to identify the specific requirements of cancer patients that might be overlooked in a busy cancer center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 234 patients were admitted in our PCC since its inception in October 2013. The study design was retrospective, collecting the data from the medical records of the patients. The descriptive statistics of all these data were calculated in terms of frequencies and percentage of categorical variables. RESULTS: Out of 234 patients admitted in PCC, 156 (66%) were male. The median age of the patients was 54 years. A total of 44% patients had primary malignancy of head and neck, 14% of cervical, 17% of lung cancer, 6% of breast, and 5% of colon, respectively. Metastatic disease was present in 76% of the patients admitted in the PCC. Liver was the most common (46%) metastatic site. Total 13 symptoms were identified with mean number of symptoms per patient at admission in PCC being 5.17. CONCLUSIONS: Palliative care services are an indispensable part of a tertiary regional cancer care center. The oncologists should be made aware of the requirement of better relief of pain and other distressing symptoms to provide better quality of life to the patients suffering from advanced cancer.

A cast partial obturator with hollow occlusal shim and semi-precision attachment.

A maxillofacial patient's quality of life is distorted and social integration becomes difficult. An obturator is a maxillofacial prosthesis used to close a congenital or acquired tissue defect, primarily of the hard palate and/or contiguous alveolar/soft-tissue structures. Subsequently, it restores the esthetics, speech, and function. The present clinical report aimed for the prosthetic rehabilitation of a maxillectomy defect by the incorporation of a semi-precision attachment as PRECI-SAGIX - male part of 2.2 mm on fixed partial denture (#22 and #23 teeth) and matrix - plastic female part of size 2.2 mm and height 4.2 mm of yellow on cast partial in polymer base. It aids in the retention of a hollow lightweight obturator. The technique also described the method to make a bulbless obturator with a hollow self-cured acrylic resin occlusal shim. A patient is quite satisfied with bulb less, lightweight cast partial and hollow shim palatal obturator.

Implant Placement into the Nasopalatine Foramen: Considerations from Anatomical and Surgical Point of View.

Implant placement is a challenge in the anterior maxilla if the available bone is reduced and esthetics is challenging. The ideal implant position should be considered in all three dimensions: mesiodistal, apicocoronal, and orofacial. This article includes a review and a case report for the anatomical and clinical perspective of implant placement in nasopalatine foramen (near incisal canal). In this case report, the edentulous space is mutilated in between the area #12 and #21 teeth. Therefore, only one, 3.0 W/10.00 L implant (bone size 4.2 mm width and 11 mm length) could be placed. Radiographically, D2 bone quality was diagnosed. Before surgery, an emphasis was given over the proper implant selection to avoid oversized implants due to critical anatomical landmark. Careful and with minimal trauma, the soft tissue was handled and implant placement was performed in a proper position, using information from panoramic radiograph, 3-D Dentascan. A surgical guide was used for placement of the implant. Finally, immediate loading of temporary implant prosthesis was done. The primary outcome was satisfactory, as after 72 h, no swelling and numbness were reported. The patient has been recalled after healing period of 24 weeks for permanent restoration.

Customized Implant Full-Mouth Rehabilitation: A Biomechanical Depiction.

The rationale for implant full-mouth rehabilitation is believed to present the better quality of life to the older population. This type of modalities preserves the soft and hard tissue of oral cavity. It is also helpful to check the temporomandibular joint disease. Literature exposes that implant full-mouth fixed rehabilitation is one of the taxing procedures in the field of prosthodontics. The current clinical report discusses a customized biomechanical approach for the fabrication of implant complete-mouth rehabilitation. A systematic approach in managing this patient can lead to a predictable and favorable prognosis. This article also presents the stages of prosthodontic rehabilitation from diagnosis to final treatment planning as a customized radiographical Gutta Percha template, precise implant surgery of 12 implants (ADIN, Dental Implant System, Israel) over the both the arches and provisional restorations with group function occlusion. Lastly, full-mouth restorations were fabricated as cement-retained (open hole) metal-ceramic restoration. Advocated patient is absolutely happy with customized implant full-mouth rehabilitation.

A 2D Panoramic Surgical Stent Imaging: Complete Arch Mandibular Implant Fixed Prosthesis along with Bar Supported Maxillary over Denture.

Successful rehabilitation of a patient should restore function, esthetic, and speech by prosthesis. Treatment modalities vary from patient to patient. Semi-precision attachments and implants offer several advantages over the traditional approach. The aim and objective of this report was to assess a case of a 55-year-old female patient who had lost all her teeth, except maxillary canines #13 and #23 and with severe bone loss in the mandible. Tooth-supported bar attachment was planned for maxilla, and a total of five dental implants were placed in the mandible using a flapless approach aided by radiographic gutta-percha surgical stents over panoramic two-dimensional imaging. Customized, radiographic stents help for the placement of implant in the view of paralleling and flapless surgery, completely. An immediate loading protocol is adopted as from day of the surgery to 6 weeks along with implant supported full arch fixed dentures after 4 months. The outcome of the treatment was impressive, and the patient gave a positive response with superb esthetics and functions.

Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Concurrent Chemoradiation in the Management of Different Stages of Cervical Carcinoma: 5-year Retrospective Study.

AIM: The data of survival for Indian cervical cancer patients treated by indigenous modifications of the protocol are scarce. The objective of this retrospective study was to analyze the efficacy and tolerability in patients of cervical carcinoma treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred and thirty two cases of squamous cell carcinoma of cervix who received 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed concurrent chemoradiation were retrospectively analyzed for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local pelvic control rate. RESULTS: The 3-year OS and DFS were 93.7 % for stage I-B, 88.0 and 84.0 % for stage II-A, 82.8 and 79.7 % for stage II-B, 70.0 and 64.9 % for stage III-A, 59.3 and 52.4 % for stage III-B, and 53.6 and 32.1 % for stage IV-A disease. The 5-year OS and DFS rates were 93.7 and 87.5 % for stage I-B, 84.0 % for Stage II-A, 79.7 and 76.6 % for stage II-B, 67.6 and 59.5 % for stage III-A, 48.4 and 41.9 % for stage III-B, and 28.6 and 14.3 % for stage IV-A disease. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiation is feasible and produces impressive disease-free and overall survival. This protocol is especially helpful for busy cancer centers with long waiting lists on radiotherapy machines.

Metronomic therapy with oral 6-mercaptopurine in elderly acute myeloid leukemia: A prospective pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly patients differs biologically from that in younger patients and is known to have unfavorable chromosomal rearrangements, higher resistance, and lower tolerance to chemotherapy. In such circumstances, instead of giving full-blown chemotherapy, palliative metronomic chemotherapy (MCT) could be a treatment option. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a prospective pilot study of old AML patients (age >60 years) not amenable to curative treatment. Thirty-two patients were enrolled into the study and were treated with daily oral 6-mercaptopurine 75 mg/m(2). The following inclusion criteria were used: age >60 years, nonpromyelocytic AML, the absence of uncontrolled comorbidities, and patient not amenable to curative treatment. Overall survival (OS) was calculated using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis were used to calculate the hazards ratio of significant factors. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 69 years (range: 61-86 years) with male: female ratio of 2.5:1. About 59.4% of patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 while rest had the status of 3. The median OS was 6 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.4-7.6). Males had median OS of 7 months (95% CI: 5.4-8.6) versus females with OS of 3 months (95% CI: 1.5-4.4; P = 0.008). There was no survival difference on the basis of baseline hemoglobin or French-American-British class. There were no Grade 4 toxicities and no episode of febrile neutropenia. CONCLUSIONS: MCT with oral 6-mercaptopurine is an attractive treatment option in elderly AML patients who are not amenable to curative therapy with minimal toxicities.

Sociodemographic Parameters of Esophageal Cancer in Northwest India: A Regional Cancer Center Experience of 10 Years.

BACKGROUND: Despite various advances in the treatment of Esophageal Cancer (EC), being one of the least responsive tumors to cancer therapy, the overall prognosis remains poor. Therefore, it is significant to understand various sociodemographic factors associated with EC to find out various schemes for primary prevention of the disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of medical records of the EC patients registered in the regional cancer center of northwest India from January 2003 to December 2012. The site of the disease and the histology were also recorded in addition to the various sociodemographic parameters. RESULTS: Out of 55,742 patients registered in our hospital; 3,667 were diagnosed to have EC. Male:female ratio was 1.15:1. The mean age was 54.6 ± 11.74 years; 66.15% of the patients were illiterate and 48.6% belonged to the low socioeconomic status. Smoking and alcohol consumption were identified as risk factors in 48 and 25.6% of the patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The etiology in majority of the patients is linked to tobacco and alcohol, thus, modification of life style with limiting the use of addictions may be an effective strategy in the prevention of this dreaded and mostly incurable disease.

HMB-45 negative multifocal malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor of the soft tissue responding to sirolimus: First case report from India.

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is a group of sarcomas that exhibit a myomelanocytic phenotype and possess a unique cell type in the perivascular epithelioid cell. Traditionally HMB-45 immunoreactivity is the first criteria required to consider a tumor to be PEComa. We report a case of multifocal PEComa with negative HMB-45 marker. The patient presented with three big ulceroproliferative lesions; two over right thigh and one over the scalp in the right frontal region. The patient was prescribed with oral sirolimus to which good response was seen. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of HMB-45 negative multifocal malignant PEComa from India.

Addition of magnetic resonance imaging to computed tomography-based three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy planning for postoperative treatment of astrocytomas: Changes in tumor volume and isocenter shift.

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative radiotherapy is the current gold standard treatment in astrocytomas. Computed tomography (CT)-based radiotherapy planning leads to either missing of the tumor volume or underdosing. The aim of this prospective study was to study the changes in tumor volume on addition of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to CT-based three-dimensional radiotherapy treatment planning of astrocytomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five consecutive patients of astrocytoma (WHO grades I-IV) for postoperative three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy were included in this prospective study. Postoperative tumor volumes were contoured on CT-based images and recontoured on CT-MRI images after automated MRI co-registration on treatment planning system Eclipse 8.9.15 as per ICRU-50 report. Tumor volumes were compared with each other. RESULT: The MRI-based mean and median tumor volume was 24.24 cc ± 13.489 and 18.72 cc (range 5.6-46.48 cc), respectively, while for CT it was 19.4 cc ± 11.218 and 16.24 cc (range: 5.1-38.72 cc), respectively. The mean and median isocenter shift between CT and MRI was 4.05 mm and 4.39 mm (range 0.92-6.32 mm), respectively. There is a linear relationship between MRI and CT volume with a good correlation coefficient of R (2) = 0.989, and MRI-based tumor volume was 1.208 times as compared to CT volume. Statistical analysis using paired sample t-test for the difference in CT and MRI tumor volume was highly significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Addition of MRI to the CT-based three-dimensional radiation treatment planning reduces the chances of geographical miss or tumor under dosing. Thus, MRI should be an integral part of three-dimensional planning of astrocytomas.

Cancer related fatigue: A ubiquitous problem yet so under reported, under recognized and under treated.

BACKGROUND: Cancer related fatigue (CRF) is a problem that is highly under reported, under recognized and thus, under treated. About 80% of patients receiving chemotherapy/radiotherapy experience CRF, making it the most common side effect of cancer treatment. Functional assessment of chronic illness therapy fatigue (FACIT-F) version-4 is a 13 item questionnaire that has been used to measure the level of fatigue of cancer patients during their daily activities over the past 7 days. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 92 patients of age 18 years and above attending the oncology Out Patient Department (OPD) of a regional cancer center were recruited in this study and were given FACIT-F questionnaire. The relevant sociodemographic parameters were obtained from the medical records of the patients. The internal consistency of the 13 items was measured using the Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The Cronbach alpha coefficient for FACIT-F scale in our study was found to be 0.74. Kendall's coefficient of concordance was estimated to be 0.080. The correlation between Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status and mean score of FACIT-F was studied, Pearson correlation coefficient was estimated to be 0.271 (P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: FACIT-F is a brief, simple, easy to administer and patient friendly tool to measure the fatigue in last 7 days. CRF should be given adequate attention from the beginning of the treatment to improve the quality of life of cancer patients.

High Ligation of Inferior Mesenteric Artery in Left Colonic and Rectal Cancers: Lymph Node Yield and Survival Benefit.

During surgery for colorectal cancer, the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) may be ligated either directly at the origin of the IMA from the aorta (high ligation) or at a point just below the origin of the left colic artery (low ligation). Sixty patients of left colonic and rectal cancer undergoing elective curative surgery in 2007 and 2008 were selected for this observational study. The resected lymph nodes were grouped into three levels: along the bowel wall (D1), along IMA below left colic (D2), and along the IMA and its root (D3). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS version 20.0. D2 level was involved pathologically in 20 (33.3 %) and D3 in six out of 44 (13.6 %) patients. The median nodal yield with high and low ligation were 33 and 25, respectively (p = 0.048). Median overall survival for high ligation was 62 months versus 42 months for low ligation (p = 0.190). High ligation of the IMA for rectal and left colonic cancers can improve lymph node yield, thus facilitating accurate tumor staging and thus better disease prognostication, but the survival benefit is not significant.

Astroblastoma of cerebrum: A rare case report and review of literature.

Astroblastoma is a rare neuroepithelial primary brain tumor of uncertain origin. They form 0.45-2.8% of all the neuroglial tumors. This tumor is usually localized in the cerebral hemisphere of young adults and children. The authors report a case of low-grade astroblastoma in a 16-year-old male and review the relevant literature. The patient presented with 2 months history of progressive headache with projectile vomiting for last 2 months. He underwent gross total resection of the lesion through right temporo-occipital craniotomy. Since tumor showed no evidence of high-grade lesion, adjuvant radiotherapy was not planned. However, the patient developed recurrence of the tumor after 12 months. Localized three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy was planned. In patients harboring anaplastic astroblastoma, gross-total resection and adjuvant therapy after the initial surgery seems to be the best choice. They can be easily misdiagnosed as they are rarely encountered in clinical practice and share common radiological and histopathologic appearance with other glial neoplasms.

Comparative analysis of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in head and neck cancer and carcinoma cervix during concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin is widely used as radio sensitizer in head and neck cancer (HNC) and carcinoma cervix (CaCx). This study aims to see comparative nephrotoxicity of cisplatin in HNC and in CaCx without obstructive uropathy treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients of HNC and 50 patients of CaCx stage II/III without obstructive uropathy were included in this study. Cisplatin 50 mg intravenous weekly was given before EBRT with adequate hydration and premedication in both groups. Before chemotherapy; blood urea, serum creatinine, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured. GFR was measured using (99m)Tc diethylene triamine pentacaetic acid (DTPA) renogram study. RESULTS: At the end of 4(th) week, blood urea level 41-45 mg% was in 40 and 4% in HNC and CaCx, respectively (P = 0.018). At the end of 3(rd) and 4(th) week, blood urea level >45 mg% was 10 and 6% in HNC cases, respectively. At the end of 4(th) week, serum creatinine level 1.1-1.5 mg% was 50 and 8% in HNC and CaCx, respectively (P = 0.047). Serum creatinine level >1.5 mg% was 6, 8, and 22% in HNC at the end of 2(nd), 3(rd), and 4(th) week, respectively. GFR <80 ml/min at the end of 4(th) week was 14% in HNC and only 2% in CaCx. GFR <100ml/min was significant at the end of 4(th) week (P = 0.04). Univariate analysis showed significant relation between reduced oral fluid intake and reduced GFR (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In HNC, during concurrent chemoradiation, as the 3(rd)-4(th) week is reached, oral mucosal reactions increase and affect oral intake which further add to the cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. In CaCx without obstructive uropathy, renal function impairment is less severe as oral intake of water and liquid is not much impaired.

A case of CD68 negative histiocytic sarcoma of axilla masquerading as metastatic breast cancer.

Histiocytic sarcoma is a malignant proliferation of cells showing morphological and immunophenotypic features of mature tissue histiocytes. Most of the cases in the literature have reported CD68 positivity. We report a case of histiocytic sarcoma whose presentation mimicked a metastatic breast cancer. A 40-year-female patient presented with a 13 × 11 cm left axillary mass in close proximity to the left breast. Tru-cut biopsy from the lesion suggested the diagnosis of a lymphoid neoplasm. Complete excision of the axillary mass was done. On simple microscopy, numerous mature small lymphocytes were seen dispersed in the follicles. Immunohistochemistry revealed CD31- and CD163-positive cells, which stained negative for CD68, CD1a, cytokeratin and S100; thus, confirming the diagnosis of histiocytic sarcoma.

Allele frequency of ABO blood group antigen and the risk of esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: ABO blood group and risk of squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus have been reported by many studies, but there is no discipline that had provided association with the genotype and gene frequency by population statics. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study on 480 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and 480 noncancer patients. ABO blood group was determined by presence of antigen with the help of monoclonal antibody. Chi-square test and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by statistical methods, and gene frequencies were calculated by Hardy-Weinberg model. RESULTS: We observed significant associations between ABO genotype and squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus. OR (95% CIs) was 1.69 (1.31-2.19) for presence of B antigen allele relative to its absence (P < 0.0001); in female subgroup OR (95% CIs) observed at 1.84 (1.27-2.65) was statistically significant (P = 0.001). SCC of esophagus shows significant difference in comparison to general population; blood group B is found to be higher in incidence (P = 0.0001). Increased risk of cancer was observed with absence of Rh antigen (P = 0.0001). Relatively increased gene frequency of q[B] allele is observed more significantly in female cancer patients (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Statistically significant association between squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and ABO and Rh genotype is identified by this study. Sex and anatomical site of cancer also present with statistically significant relative association. However, larger randomised trials are required to establish the hypothesis.

Diagnosis of post-radiotherapy local failures in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a prospective institutional study.

BACKGROUND: This prospective study was conducted to evaluate and compare the efficacies of nasopharyngoscopy and CT scan in the diagnosis of local failure of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHODS: Total 52 patients of histopathologically proven nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), were included in this study. For every patient computed tomography (CT), nasopharyngoscopy and nasopharyngeal biopsies were performed 3 months after completion of EBRT. RESULTS: Three months after completion of EBRT, 9 patients (17.3%) had evident disease on histological examination of biopsies. Nasopharyngoscopy showed 77.78% sensitivity, 93.03% specificity, 70% positive predictive value and 95.24% negative predictive value in diagnosing the residual/recurrence of tumor. There was statistically significant agreement between the endoscopic findings and the histological findings (Kappa reliability coefficient=0.562, p<0.01). On the other hand, CT scan showed a 55.56% sensitivity, 39.53% specificity, 16.13% positive predictive value and 80.95% negative predictive value in diagnosing the residual tumor/recurrence. There was no statistically significant agreement between the CT scan findings and the histological findings (Kappa reliability coefficient = 0.038, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Nasopharyngoscopy should be considered the primary follow-up tool after radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. CT scan should be reserved for patients with histological or any symptomatic indications. Routine postnasal biopsies are not required.