• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.2805-2809
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• 2013

Objective: This study aimed at investigating whether the orphan nuclear receptor NR4A2 is significantly associated with clinicopathologic features and overall survival of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine NR4A2 protein expression in 84 NPC tissues and 20 non-cancerous nasopharyngeal (NP) tissues. The prognostic significance of NR4A2 protein expression was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression models and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results: We did not find a significant association between total NR4A2 expression and clinicopathological variables in 84 patients with NPC. However, we observed that high cytoplasmic expression of NR4A2 was significantly associated with tumor size (T classification) (P = 0.006), lymph node metastasis (N classification) (P = 0.002) and clinical stage (P = 0.017). Patients with higher cytoplasmic NR4A2 expression had a significantly lower survival rate than those with lower cytoplasmic NR4A2 expression (P = 0.004). Multivariate Cox regression analysis analysis suggested that the level of cytoplasmic NR4A2 expression was an independent prognostic indicator for overall survival of patients with NPC (P = 0.033). Conclusions: High cytoplasmic expression of NR4A2 is a potential unfavorable prognostic factor for patients with NPC.

• 대한두경부종양학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.227-229
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• 2006

• 대한두경부종양학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.221-226
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• 2006

• 대한두경부종양학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.278-281
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• 2001

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.91-96
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• 1993

From September 1989 to June 1992,22 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated in Asan Medical Center with an external beam of 60 Gy followed by a boost dose of 15 Gy HDR brachytherapy. There were 5 females and 17 males with median age of 44 years (range: 20-69 years). All patients were histologically confirmed and staged by physical examination, CT scan and/or MRI. By the AJCC TNM staging system, there were 2 patients with stge II (T2NO), 4 with stage III (T3NO, T1-3N1), and 16 with stage IV (T4 or N2-3). Four patients received chemotherapy with 5-FU and cisplatin prior to radiotherapy. All patients were followed up periodically by a telescopic examination and radiologic imaging study of CT scan or MRI with a median follow-up time of 13 months (range: 3-34 months). Twenty one patients showed a complete response ore month after completing therapy and one patient showed a complete response after three months. At the time of this analysis, seventeen patients remain alive without evidence of disease, but four patients developed distant metastasis and one patient died a month after treatment. The local control rate was $100{\%}$ in a median follow-up time of 13 months. The two year overall and disease free survival rates by the Kaplan-Meier method were $94{\%}$ and $67{\%}$, respectively. Serious radiation sequelae have not been observed yet. Although longer follow-up is needed, this retrospective analysis suggests that HDR brachytherap. given as a boost therapy for nasoharyngeal carcinoma may improve the local control. To reduce the incidence of distant metastasis, we need to develop a more effective systemic chemotherapy.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.197-201
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• 1990

The primary treatment modality of malignant tumors of the nasopharynx is radiation therapy owing to its inaccessibility to surgical intervention. Over the last two decades there were many changes in techniques of delivery, which include the use of higher doses of radiotherapy, the use of wide radiation field, including the elective radiation of the whole neck, the combined use of brachy- and teletherapy, and the use of split-course therapy. In spite of these advances local and regional recurrences remain the major cause of death. As a boost therapy after external irradiation, high-dose-rate intracavitary irradiation using remote control afterloading system(RALS) was used in two patients. Our results were satisfactory, however, this procedure should only be performed by those who have developed enough expertise in the use of intracavitary techniques for the treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer and have a supportive team including a physicist, dosimetrist, nurse, and trained technologist.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.71-77
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• 2005

Purpose: This retrospective study was conduced to analyze the treatment results and to evaluate the prognostic factors affecting the survival of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Materials and Methods: From 1987 to 2002, we analyzed 43 patients who had nasopharyngeal carcinomas that were histologically confirmed and who had also completed the planned radiation therapy course at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center According to the 6th edition of American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system, 12 patients ($27.9\%$) were at Stage 11, 13 ($30.2\%$) were at Stage III and 18 ($41.9\%$) were at Stage IV Histopathologically, there were 15 ($34.9\%$) squamous cell carcinomas, 8 ($18.5\%$) nonkeratinizing carcinomas, 17 ($39.5\%$) undifferentiated carcinomas, and 3 ($7.0\%$) lymphoepitheliomas. Among the total 43 patients, 31 patients ($72.1\%$) were treated with only radiation therapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was peformed on 7 patients ($16.3\%$) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy was performed on S patients ($11.6\%$). Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil were administered to 11 patients for 4 cycles, and Cisplatin and Taxotere were administered to 1 patient for 6 cycles. The range of the total radiation dose delivered to the primary tumor was from 61.2 to 84 Gy (median 70.4 Gy), The follow-up period ranged from 2 to 197 months with median follow-up of 84 months. Results: The local control rate at 6 months after radiation therapy was $90.7\%$. The five year overall survival and disease free survival rates were $50.7\%$ and $48.9\%$, respectively. On the multivariate analysis, the age, T-stage ($T_{1-3}\;vs\;T_4$), N-stage and AJCC stage were the statistically significant prognostic factors affecting survival (p<0.05). The patterns of failure were as follows: local failure only in 3 patients ($7.0\%$), local and systemic failure in 1 patient ($2.3\%$), and distant metastasis only in 11 patients ($25.6\%$). Conclusion: The prognostic factors affecting the outcome of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were age, T-stage (7$T_{1-3}\;vs\;T_4$), N-stage and stage. Because systemic metastasis was the main failure pattern noted for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, systemic chemotherapy is needed to decrease the rate of distant metastasis for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In audition, research for more effective chemotherapeutical regimens and schedules is also needed.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.3-7
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• 2012

Background and Objectives : Nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) shows a distinct geographic and demographic distribution with high incidences in Chinese and Southeast Asians. Current WHO classification divides NPC into nonkeratinizing carcinoma(NKC)(differentiated and undifferentiated subtypes), keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma(KSCC), and basaloid squamous cell carcinoma(BSCC). Relative frequency of histologic subtypes of NPC is known to vary according to the incidence of NPC. Korea is one of the low-incidence countries according to the GLOBOCAN 2008 database by IARC. The aim of this study is to assess the histopathologic types and EBV status of NPC of Koreans. Materials and Methods : We reviewed and reclassified 168 cases of NPC(132 males and 36 females) diagnosed from January 1996 through July 2006. In situ hybridization for EBV-encoded early RNA(EBER) was performed on 146 cases and the results were compared among different histologic types, genders, and age and stage groups. Results : NKC, undifferentiated subtype(NKC-U) was identified in 106 cases(63.1%) and differentiated subtype(NKC-D) in 49 cases(29.2%). Remaining 13 cases(7.7%) were classified as KSCC. NKC and NKC-U were more common in females than in males. EBV prevalence was higher in NKC than in KSCC(NKC-U, 90% ;, NKC-D, 84.1% ; KSCC, 7.7%) and more common in younger age(${\leq}40$) than older age(>40) group. Conclusion : Histologic type distribution and EBV prevalence of NPC in Korean patients corresponded to that of intermediate incidence area. Pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal KSCC is assumed to be different from that of NKC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Veterinary Clinics Conference
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.238-238
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• 2009

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.53-56
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• 2018

Despite adequate diagnostic work-up, unknown primary carcinoma(UPC) of the head and neck cannot be detected in approximately 2- 3% of patients.(1,2) There are several explanations for a cervical metastasis in the absence of a primary tumor. Here in, we report 2 patients, who were diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer after treatment of unknown primary cancer of the neck. Both patients had radical neck dissections and chemoradiation therapy, but 1 patient showed nasopharyngeal cancers 4 years after treatment and the other patient at 9 months after treatment for the unknown primary cancer. Therefore, we report 2 cases of nasopharyngeal cancer, which were diagnosed after treatment of unknown head and neck primary site.