Cornel Savu
Because of its deep-seated location, proximity to vital structures, and patient history of high-dose irradiation, recurrent Nasopharyngeal Cancer (NPC) is typically challenging to treat successfully with salvage procedures. Malignancies with skull base and cerebral invasion can be treated with Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (GKS). We performed a retrospective, observational, single-center analysis on 15 patients who had GKS as a salvage procedure for recurrent NPC (stage T4b) involving the base of the skull and cerebral invasion. Twelve years were spent enrolling patients. The TNM classification T4b was divided into T4b1 and T4b2, according to a prior study, based on the involvement of the skull base or cavernous sinus with an intracranial extension of 5 mm and>5 mm, respectively. Age, sex, survival time, MRI presentation, existence of further distant metastases, tumor volume, marginal dosage, maximal dose, and Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) were examined as prognostic markers that may affect outcomes. Better results following GKS treatment were seen in the patients with T4b1 NPC (p=0.041), small tumor volume (p=0.012), greater KPS (p =0.001), and no additional metastases (p=0.007), indicating that GKS is a potential treatment option for NPC.