Intensity-modulated radiotherapy for elderly patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and patterns of failure after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for elderly patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods Fifty-two patients treated with IMRT were eligible for study inclusion. Comorbidity was rated using the Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 (ACE-27) system. Results Twenty-six patients (50.0%) had an ACE-27 score of 1; and 6 (11.5%) had an ACE-27 score of 2. Eleven patients had died and 5 (45.5%) of them died of NPC. Two patients had developed local recurrence only, 1 had developed regional recurrence only, and 7 had developed distant metastasis only. The locoregional failure-free survival, distant failure-free survival, cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) rates at 5 years were 92.6%, 83.7%, 84.9%, and 69.4%, respectively. Conclusion The results of treating elderly patients with NPC by IMRT were excellent. Distant metastasis remains the most difficult treatment challenge for elderly patients with NPC.