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Nasopharyngeal Cancer Treatments
How Is Nasopharyngeal Cancer Treated?
NPC is highly sensitive to both radiation treatment and many forms of drug (chemotherapy) treatment. For this reason and because the nasopharynx is not easily accessible by surgical means, the mainstay of treatment for both localized (head and neck) and metastatic (spreads beyond the head and neck) NPC is radiation and drug treatment.
Cure rates for patients with localized disease are high, even for patients with bulky tumors in their nasopharynx or neck lymph nodes. Major advances in radiation techniques over the past two decades, including intensity modulated radiation treatments (IMRT) have led to excellent local control of NPC. The addition of chemotherapy, especially cisplatin treatments overlapping with radiation, has also been associated with improved cure rates in patients with locally advanced tumors.
For patients with advanced, metastatic tumors, chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment. Many drugs, including cisplatin, paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, and 5- fluorouracil have been shown to be effective.
Standard treatment options
Chemotherapy
The use of anticancer drugs to shrink or kill cancerous cells and reduce cancer spreading to other parts of the body.
Radiation therapy
The use of high-energy radiation to kill or shrink cancer cells, tumors, and non-cancerous diseases.
Surgery
Surgery is sometimes used for pharyngeal cancer that does not respond to radiation therapy. If cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, the doctor may remove lymph nodes and other tissues in the neck.
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Condition Spotlight
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies currently accepting participants. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but may open in the future.