Abstract
A retrospective study of 32 patients with malignant nasopharyngeal tumor was performed.
Twenty three patients with carcinoma and nine patients with sarcoma were treated from 1967 to 1976 at Kumamoto medical school. Cervical mass, nasal obstruction and full sensation of the ear were three main symptoms, and one third of nasopharyngeal carcinomas presented cervical mass as a chief complain. All patients had radiotherapy, except 2 patients with carcinoma who were treated by surgical operation.
For last two years, the patients' sera were examined for antibody titer to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related antigen, and all carcinomas showed high antibody titer. The patients whose serum antibody titer to EBV-related antigen was markedly decreased following therapy, had good prognosis. In this series, five-year survival rate was ten per cent.
