Clinical findings and imaging features of 67 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with postradiation nasopharyngeal necrosis

Postradiation nasopharyngeal necrosis is an important late effect of radiotherapy that affects prognosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.In the present study,we reviewed the clinical and imaging features of 67 patients with pathologically diagnosed postradiation nasopharyngeal necrosis who were treated at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between June 2006 and January 2010.Their clinical manifestations,endoscopic findings,and imaging features were analyzed.Early nasopharyngeal necrosis was limited to a local site in the nasopharyngeal region,and the tissue defect was not obvious,whereas deep parapharyngeal ulcer or signs of osteoradionecrosis in the basilar region was observed in serious cases.Those with osteoradionecrosis and/or exposed carotid artery had a high mortality.In conclusion,Postradiation nasopharyngeal necrosis has characteristic magnetic resonance imaging appearances,which associate well with clinical findings,but pathologic examination is essential to make the diagnosis.

Locoregional radiotherapy in patients with distant metastases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma at diagnosis

Systemic chemotherapy is the basic palliative treatment for metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC); however, it is not known whether locoregional radiotherapy targeting the primary tumor and regional lymph nodes affects the survival of patients with metastatic NPC. Therefore, we aimed to retrospectively evaluate the benefits of locoregional radiotherapy. A total of 408 patients with metastatic NPC were included in this study. The mortality risks of the patients undergoing supportive treatment and those undergoing chemotherapy were compared with that of patients undergoing locoregional radiotherapy delivered alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. The contributions of independent factors were assessed after adjustment for covariates with significant prognostic associations (P<0.05). Both locoregional radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy were identified as significant independent prognostic factors of overall survival(OS). The mortality risk was similar in the group undergoing locoregional radiotherapy alone and the group undergoing systemic chemotherapy alone [multi-adjusted hazard ratio(HR)=0.9, P=0.529]; this risk was 60% lower than that of the group undergoing supportive treatment(HR=0.4, P=0.004) and 130% higher than that of the group undergoing both systemic chemotherapy and locoregional radiotherapy(HR=2.3, P<0.001). In conclusion, locoregional radiotherapy, particularly when combined with systemic chemotherapy, is associated with improved survival of patients with metastatic NPC.

鼻咽癌放疗后内镜超声引导下咽后淋巴结细针抽吸术:一种新型准确诊断技术

背景与目的鼻咽癌(nasopharyngeal carcinoma,NPC)患者接受放射治疗后普遍出现咽后淋巴结(retropharyngeal lymph nodes,RLNs)增大。病理学检查结果决定了对增大RLNs最佳治疗方案的选择。然而,在临床上RLN取样难度大。我们最近开发了一种内镜超声引导下细针抽吸(endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration,EUS-FNA)的新型微创技术,可取到足够的RLN组织用以病理学或细胞学诊断。方法纳入30例经核磁共振成像(magnetic resonance imaging,MRI)检测疑似放疗后出现RLN转移的NPC患者。EUS探头经鼻孔置入鼻咽,然后使用EUS扫描咽后间隙并在颈动脉鞘前定位RLN,随后进行EUS-FNA。对EUS-FNA法从RLN组织取样的安全性和有效性进行评估。结果采用EUS-FNA法成功地对所有患者进行了组织取样。在30例患者中,23例经1次EUS-FNA取样后通过病理学或细胞学检查确认了活检组织中存在癌细胞。有7例患者经1次EUS-FNA活检后未确认存在癌细胞,随后再次采用EUS-FNA活检重新分析,又有2例被确认存在癌细胞;另外5例未确认存在癌细胞的患者密切随访3个月,每月进行1次MRI。随访3个月后,3例患者由于RLNs直径保持稳定或减小而被认为未患肿瘤;剩余2例表现出疾病进展的患者进行了第3次EUS-FNA活检,进一步确认为癌细胞阳性。本文所报道的整个队列中,EUS-FNA过程无任何严重并发症发生。结论采用EUS-FNA法对疑似NPC复发患者的RLNs取样是一种安全有效的诊断方法。

The Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology(CSCO)clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)is a malignant epithelial tumor originating in the nasopharynx and has a high incidence in Southeast Asia and North Africa.To develop these comprehensive guidelines for the diagnosis and management of NPC,the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology(CSCO)arranged a multi-disciplinary team comprising of experts from all sub-specialties of NPC to write,discuss,and revise the guidelines.Based on the findings of evidencebased medicine in China and abroad,domestic experts have iteratively developed these guidelines to provide proper management of NPC.Overall,the guidelines describe the screening,clinical and pathological diagnosis,staging and risk assessment,therapies,and follow-up of NPC,which aim to improve the management of NPC.

Minimally invasive surgery alone compared with intensity-modulated radiotherapy for primary stage I nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background:The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT)as the primary curative treatment for newly diagnosed nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC),but the radiation-related complications and relatively high medical costs remain a consequential burden for the patients.Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy(ENPG)was successfully applied in recurrent NPC with radiation free and relatively low medical costs.In this study,we examined whether ENPG could be an effective treatment for localized stage I NPC.Methods:Ten newly diagnosed localized stage I NPC patients voluntarily received ENPG alone from June 2007 to September 2017 in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center.Simultaneously,the data of 329 stage I NPC patients treated with IMRT were collected and used as a reference cohort.The survival outcomes,quality of life(QOL),and medical costs between two groups were compared.Results:After a median follow-up of 59.0 months(95%CI 53.4-64.6),no death,locoregional recurrence,or distant metastasis was observed in the 10 patients treated with ENPG.The 5-year overall survival,local relapse-free survival,regional relapse-free survival,and distant metastasis-free survival among the ENPG-treated patients was similar to that among the IMRT-treated patients(100%vs.99.1%,100%vs.97.7%,100%vs.99.0%,100%vs.97.4%,respectively,P>0.05).In addition,compared with IMRT,ENPG was associated with decreased total medical costs($4090.42±1502.65 vs.$12620.88±4242.65,P<0.001)and improved QOL scores including dry mouth(3.3±10.5 vs.34.4±25.8,P<0.001)and sticky saliva(3.3±10.5 vs.32.6±23.3,P<0.001).Conclusions:ENPG alone was associated with promising long-term survival outcomes,low medical costs,and satisfactory QOL and might therefore be an alternative strategy for treating newly diagnosed localized stage I NPC patients who refused radiotherapy.However,the application of ENPG should be prudent,and prospective clinical tri-als were needed to further verify the results.

A curative-intent endoscopic surgery for postradiation nasopharyngeal necrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background:Postradiation nasopharyngeal necrosis(PRNN)is a severe complication after radiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC),which can severely affect the quality of life and threaten the patient’s life.Only 13.4%-28.6%of patients can be cured by traditional repeated endoscopic debridement.Here,we introduced an innovative curative-intent endoscopic surgery for PRNN patients and evaluated its clinical efficacy.Methods:Clinical data of 72 PRNN patients who underwent radical endoscopic necrectomy,followed by reconstruc-tion using a posterior pedicle nasal septum and floor mucoperiosteum flap were analyzed to determine the efficacy of this surgery.The endpoints were complete re-epithelialization of the nasopharyngeal defect,relief of headache,and overall survival(OS).Results:All surgeries were successfully performed without any severe postoperative complications or death.The median value of numeric rating scales of pain decreased from 8 before surgery to 0 after surgery(P<0.001).Fifty-one patients(70.8%)achieved complete re-epithelialization of the nasopharyngeal defect.The number of cycles of radiotherapy(odds ratio[OR],7.254;95%confidence interval[CI]1.035-50.821;P=0.046),postoperative pathological result(OR,34.087;95%CI 3.168-366.746;P=0.004),and survival status of flap(OR,261.179;95%CI 17.176-3971.599;P<0.001)were independent risk factors of re-epithelialization of the nasopharyngeal defects.Postoperative patho-logical result(hazard ratio[HR],5.018;95%CI 1.970-12.782;P=0.001)was an independent prognostic factor for OS.The 2-year OS rate of the entire cohort was 77.9%.Conclusion:Curative-intent endoscopic necrectomy followed by construction using the posterior pedicle nasal septum and floor mucoperiosteum flap is a novel,safe,and effective treatment of PRNN in patients with NPC.

Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of retropharyngeal lymph nodes after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a novel technique for accurate diagnosis

Background:Enlarged retropharyngeal lymph nodes(RLNs)are very common in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)undergoing radiotherapy.The most suitable treatment option for enlarged RLNs depends on the pathological results.However,RLN sampling is difficult and imminent in the clinic setting.We recently developed a novel minimally invasive technique termed endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration(EUS-FNA)for sam-pling RLN tissues sufficient for pathological or cytological diagnosis.Methods:We enrolled 30 post-radiotherapy patients with NPC with suspected RLN metastasis detected via mag-netic resonance imaging(MRI).The EUS probe was introduced into the nasopharynx via the nostrils,and EUS was then used to scan the retropharyngeal space and locate the RLN in the anterior carotid sheath.EUS-FNA was subsequently performed.The safety and efficacy of using EUS-FNA to sample the RLN tissues were assessed.Results:Strips of tissue were successfully sampled from all patients using EUS-FNA.Of the 30 patients,23 were confirmed to have cancer cells in the biopsied tissues via pathology or cytology examinations with 1 EUS-FNA biopsy session.The seven cases without confirmed cancer cells were subsequently reanalyzed by using another EUS-FNA biopsy session,and two more cases were confirmed possessing cancer cells.The other five patients without con-firmed cancer cells were closely followed with MRI every month for 3 months.After follow-up for 3 months,three patients were still considered cancer-free due to the presence of RLNs with stable or shrinking diameters.The rest two patients who showed progressive disease underwent a third EUS-FNA biopsy procedure and were further confirmed to be cancer cell-positive.In the whole cohort reported here,the EUS-FNA procedure was not associated with any severe complications.Conclusion:EUS-FNA is a safe and effective diagnostic approach for sampling tissues from the RLNs in patients with suspected recurrent NPC.

Surpassing the standard quantum limit of optical imaging via deep learning

The sensitivity of optical measurement is ultimately constrained by the shot noise to the standard quantum limit.It has become a common concept that beating this limit requires quantum resources.A deep-learning neural network free of quantum principle has the capability of removing classical noise from images,but it is unclear in reducing quantum noise.In a coincidence-imaging experiment,we show that quantum-resource-free deep learning can be exploited to surpass the standard quantum limit via the photon-number-dependent nonlinear feedback during training.Using an effective classical light with photon flux of about 9×10^(4) photons per second,our deep-learning-based scheme achieves a 14 dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio with respect to the standard quantum limit.

Scalable cyclic transformation of orbital angular momentum modes based on a nonreciprocal Mach–Zehnder interferometer

The orbital angular momentum(OAM)of photons provides a pivotal resource for carrying out high-dimensional classical and quantum information processing due to its unique discrete high-dimensional nature.The cyclic transformation of a set of orthogonal OAM modes is an essential building block for universal high-dimensional information processing.Its realization in the quantum domain is the universal quantum Pauli-X gate.In this work,we experimentally demonstrate a cyclic transformation of six OAM modes with an averaged efficiency higher than 96%by exploiting a nonreciprocal Mach–Zehnder interferometer.Our system is simple and can,in principle,be scaled to more modes.By improving phase stabilization and inputting quantum photonic states,this method can perform universal single-photon quantum Pauli-X gate,thus paving the way for scalable highdimensional quantum computation.