Abstract
Due to the unique anatomical location of nasopharynx, tumors of nasopharynx are usually in close proximity to the critical organs. As such, complete resection of NPC is usually not feasible especially for patients with locally advanced diseases. Radiation therapy is the mainstay treatment modality for NPC, and is curative for early-stage disease. For locoregionally advanced disease, combined chemoradiation therapy is the current standard strategy of treatment. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) provides precise and accurate delivery of radiation therapy. Results of dosimetry, retrospective, and prospective clinical studies have confirmed that IMRT significantly improves the treatment outcome in terms of disease control as well as radiation-induced adverse events for NPC, as compared to the conventional radiotherapy (i.e., 3-dimentional conformal radiotherapy or the earlier 2-dimentional radiation). IMRT is the current standard radiation therapy technology for the definitive management of NPC. This chapter aims to detail the clinical evidence of the use of photon-based IMRT for definitive treatment of nonmetastatic NPC, as well as its planning and delivery techniques, and the current recommendation.
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Lee, N.Y., Kong, L., Tam, M., Lu, J.J. (2021). Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy for Nasopharyngeal Cancer. In: Ma, J., Lee, N.Y., Lu, J.J. (eds) Nasopharyngeal Cancer. Practical Guides in Radiation Oncology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65037-7_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65037-7_5
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