Chinese expert consensus on diagnosis and treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: evidence from current practice and future perspectives

Jinyi Lang*,1 Chaosu Hu*,2 Taixiang Lu,3 Jianji Pan,4 Tongyu Lin51Department of Radiation Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiation Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Radiation Oncology, Fujian Cancer Hospital & Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare type of head and neck cancer, with a higher incidence reported only in Southeast Asia and Northern Africa. Owing to the rarity of NPC occurrence, no internationally accepted consensus or guideline for its diagnosis and treatment is available. Based on the current evidences and practices, the Chinese experts on multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of NPC were designated to develop a national consensus for the treatment strategy of NPC. In this consensus, we report the development for improving the treatment efficacy and quality of life of NPC patients in China. The consensus also describes and recommends the role of multidisciplinary management approach in the management of NPC. A multidisciplinary team should include experts from different domains who can cater to the individualized needs of patients with NPC in a much more efficient manner. In addition, the team may also play a key role in developing guiding principles for future research, contributing to the improvement in the management of NPC.Keywords: Asian, Chinese, consensus, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, radiotherapy