A nine-year-old child with nasopharyngeal cancer treated with concomitant chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin – a case report

Abstract

In recent years, the role of radiation oncology in treating various pediatric cancers has been extensively researched and developed. The dosage of radiotherapy, when combined with chemotherapy, was either reduced in some oncological diseases or modified in other cancers. Despite these changes, due to swift advancements in radiation oncology technology, this combination therapy continues to enhance both overall and progression-free survival rates, maintaining its vital status as a therapeutic approach in precision medicine. We report here a nine-year-old patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated according to SIOPE guidelines, which included induction neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin. Post-therapy imaging assessments revealed a persistent tumor mass with reduced dimensions on MRI one month after treatment, characterized by absence of contrast enhancement, water diffusion restriction, or lymphadenopathy. Subsequent CT imaging at three months post-radiotherapy showed no signs of disease progression. Repeat MRI scans at four and six months post-treatment demonstrated stable disease without evidence of water diffusion restriction, indicating a positive response to therapy. These results underscore the effectiveness of the multimodal approach in achieving favorable tumor control and therapeutic efficacy in pediatric nasopharyngeal carcinoma.