Tactics of managing patients with primarily detected nasopharyngeal neoplasm. Case reports

In 5% of cases in the nasopharynx of an adult can be found a neoplasm with benign or malignant nature. Clinical manifestations of such pathology are next: persistent dysfunction of the auditory tubes, nasalness and postnasal drip syndrome. Endoscopy of the nasopharynx, computed tomography of the sinuses and magnetic resonance imaging of the head are the main diagnostic criteria for detecting neoplasms in this area. The tactics of treatment depends on the dysplasia type of the pathological process and varies from endoscopic one-stage resection to chemoradiation treatment. Using the example of two clinical cases, we will consider an algorithm for diagnosis and treatment the patients.

Cetuximab in the management of nasopharyngeal carcinoma – a narrative review

BackgroundConcurrent chemotherapy with radiotherapy is the standard treatment for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer. Cetuximab can be used in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, the randomised studies that led to approval for its use in this setting excluded nasopharyngeal cancer. In the context of limited data for the use of cetuximab in nasopharyngeal cancer in the medical literature, this review aimed to summarise the current evidence for its use in both primary and recurrent or metastatic disease.MethodA literature search was performed using the keywords ‘nasopharyngeal neoplasm’, ‘cetuximab’ and ‘Erbitux’.ResultsTwenty studies were included. There were no randomised phase III trials, but there were nine phase II trials. The use of cetuximab in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma has been tested in various settings, including in combination with induction chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy, and in the palliative setting.ConclusionThere is no evidence of benefit from the addition of cetuximab to standard management protocols, and there is some evidence of increased toxicity. There is more promise for its use in metastatic or locally recurrent settings. This review draws together the existing evidence and could provide a focus for future studies.

Temporal bone tumours in patients irradiated for nasopharyngeal neoplasm

Radiation-associated tumours are rare complications of radiotherapy. This study seeks to highlight and discuss the clinically challenging problem of radiation-associated tumours (RATs) in the temporal bones of seven patients previously irradiated for nasopharyngeal neoplasm.Seven patients (six males and one female) with radiation-associated temporal bone tumours are presented (five squamous cell carcinomas, one osteogenic sarcoma and one chondrosarcoma). The initial nasopharyngeal disease for which radiotherapy was indicated was nasopharyngeal carcinoma (six patients) and nasopharyngeal lymphoma (one patient). The latency period between radiotherapy and presentation of temporal bone tumours ranged from five years to 30 years with a mean of 12.9 years. All the patients underwent surgical tumour resection. Three patients had post-operative radiotherapy and one patient underwent pre- and post-perative chemotherapy. Two patients died from the disease within three months of treatment with one patient surviving 36 months at the time of writing. One patient died from an unrelated medical condition three months after surgery.With refinement in radiotherapy techniques and the resultant increase in patient survival, there may be more patients with radiation-associated tumours in the future. It remains imperative for clinicians to be vigilant when patients previously irradiated for nasopharyngeal carcinoma present with otological symptoms as the key to the successful management of this condition lies in the early detection and expedient treatment of this difficult disease.