Standard Radiotherapy Versus Concurrent Chemo-Radiotherapy Followed by Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced (Non-Metastatic) Nasopharyngeal Cancer
Standard Radiotherapy Versus Concurrent Chemo-Radiotherapy Followed by Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced (Non-Metastatic) Nasopharyngeal Cancer
RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy alone is more effective than radiation therapy plus chemotherapy in treating cancer of the nasopharynx.
PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying how well radiation therapy and chemotherapy works compared to radiation therapy alone in treating patients with previously untreated cancer of the nasopharynx.
OBJECTIVES:
OUTLINE: This is a randomized study.
Patients are randomized to receive radiotherapy alone (arm I) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (arm II).
Patients are followed every 4 months for the first year, every 6 months for the next 2 years, and then annually thereafter until death.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A minimum of 200 patients will be accrued for this study.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
Age:
Performance status:
Life expectancy:
Hematopoietic:
Hepatic:
Renal:
Other:
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
Biologic therapy
Chemotherapy
Endocrine therapy
Radiotherapy
Surgery
Other