OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between primary tumour volumes and treatment outcomes in early T-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary care centre. METHOD: A consecutive series of 52 newly diagnosed patients of early T-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma who were treated with high-dose radiotherapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Computed tomography-derived primary tumour volume was obtained following the summation of area technique. The cancer-related survival according to T stage and primary tumour volumes was analyzed. RESULTS: The median primary tumour volume was 5.48 mL in T1 disease, 17.95 mL in T2a disease, and 19.15 mL in T2b disease, with a range of 3.23 to 9.65 mL in T1 disease, 6.31 to 64.54 mL in T2a disease, and 11.27 to 131.82 mL in T2b disease. Large primary tumour volume was associated with a significantly poor disease-specific survival (p = .0003), whereas the T stage that segregated into T2a and T2b carried no prognostic significance (p = .441). CONCLUSIONS: A substantial variation of primary tumour volume was present within the T2a and T2b stages, and primary tumour volume represented a more important prognostic factor. Volumetric measurements of primary tumours in early T-stage nasopharyngeal tumours would better refine the tumour, node, metastasis staging system. Patients with large primary tumour volume should be treated more aggressively.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between primary tumour volumes and treatment outcomes in early T-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary care centre. METHOD: A consecutive series of 52 newly diagnosed patients of early T-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma who were treated with high-dose radiotherapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Computed tomography-derived primary tumour volume was obtained following the summation of area technique. The cancer-related survival according to T stage and primary tumour volumes was analyzed. RESULTS: The median primary tumour volume was 5.48 mL in T1 disease, 17.95 mL in T2a disease, and 19.15 mL in T2b disease, with a range of 3.23 to 9.65 mL in T1 disease, 6.31 to 64.54 mL in T2a disease, and 11.27 to 131.82 mL in T2b disease. Large primary tumour volume was associated with a significantly poor disease-specific survival (p = .0003), whereas the T stage that segregated into T2a and T2b carried no prognostic significance (p = .441). CONCLUSIONS: A substantial variation of primary tumour volume was present within the T2a and T2b stages, and primary tumour volume represented a more important prognostic factor. Volumetric measurements of primary tumours in early T-stage nasopharyngeal tumours would better refine the tumour, node, metastasis staging system. Patients with large primary tumour volume should be treated more aggressively.
Authors: Jia-Yin Zhou; Vincent F H Chong; James B K Khoo; Kap-Luk Chan; Jing Huang Journal: Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol Date: 2006-09-21 Impact factor: 2.503
Authors: Ali Fendri; Christos K Kontos; Abdelmajid Khabir; Raja Mokdad-Gargouri; Andreas Scorilas Journal: Mol Med Date: 2010-12-08 Impact factor: 6.354