Dose volume effects of re-irradiation for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: This study analyzed the dose volume effects of re-irradiation for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and attempts to determine the optimal dose for the best survival. METHODS: Ninety-one patients were studied. The local control, fatal complication, and overall survival were analyzed against the dose (in Equivalent Dose at 2 Gy/fractions) and recurrent gross tumor volume (GTV). RESULTS: The local control and fatal complication rate appear to increase with prescribed dose. The overall survival peaks at around 60 Gy10 . Local control decreases significantly with increasing GTV (P < .001) while overall survival shows similar trend (P = .06). No correlation was observed between the fatal complication rate and GTV volume. The dose response of local control appears to be stronger for smaller tumors. CONCLUSION: GTV volume plays a significant role in local control. A 60 Gy10 appears to be optimal for the best survival outcome; higher doses might be considered for small tumors.

Immunotherapeutic approaches in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Introduction: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is endemic in Southern China and Southeast Asia. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) represents a unique etiological culprit in the poorly differentiated nonkeratinizing and undifferentiated subtypes. EBV antigens are expressed on tumor cells albeit in a restricted manner. Treatment options for recurrent or metastatic disease are limited. Nevertheless, emerging data from immunotherapy studies in NPC have shed light into their potential antitumor efficacy. Areas covered: This article reviews existing clinical evidence for different immunotherapeutic approaches for NPC, including adoptive cellular therapy, therapeutic cancer vaccines, and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Expert opinion: There is a growing understanding on EBV virology and the immune evasion mechanisms in NPC. Immunotherapeutic strategies leveraging these properties have shown encouraging efficacy and safety results in early-phase clinical studies. Moving forward, areas to be addressed include appropriate patient selection, optimal incorporation into standard treatment paradigms, biomarker identification, as well as the development of scalable and reproducible immune product generation processes.