Comprehensive treatment of radiation-induced lower cranial neuropathy in patients with nasopharyngcal carcinoma: a clinical analysis

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of comprehensive treatments for radiation-induced lower cranial neuropathy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Meathods Fifty NPC patients with radiation-induced lower cranial neuropathy were randomly divided into comprehensive treatment group and control group. In the former group, the 25 patients received 10 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen treatment in addition to intravenous infusion of methyprednisolone (60-80 mg, once daily for 10 consecutive days) and aceglutamide (500 mg, once daily for 28 days), with also patients in the control group were given 2 compound vitamine B tablets and 3 compound Denshen tablets three times a day for 45 days. Results The excellent effect, improvement, non-response, and exacerbation rates in the comprehensive treatment group were 24%, 72%, 4%, and 0%, as compared to the rates of 0%, 12%, 80%, and 8% in the control group, respectively. The overall response rate in the comprehensive treatment group was 96%, significantly higher than that in the control group (12%, P<0.05). In the patients receiving comprehensive treatment, exclusion of chemotherapy and shorter duration of symptoms of nerve damage were associated with better therapeutic effect (P<0.05). Conclusion Methyprednisolone, mouse nerve growth factor and hyperbaric oxygen treatment can relieve the symptoms of radiation-induced lower cranial neuropathy in NPC patients, and the therapeutic effect of the treatments is associated with chemotherapy and sustaining time of the symptoms of nerve damage, suggesting the necessity of early treatment of neurological impairment in these patinets. Key words: Nasopharyngeal neoplasms; Cranial nerve; Radiation injuries; Drug therapy