Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy with potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) laser for early locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background. Although early recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) can be treated with surgery alone, conventional nasopharyngectomy still results in serious complications. Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy has been introduced, but data on the treatment outcomes of this technique are lacking. Methods. From March 2004 to December 2007, 28 patients with rT1 or rT2a NPC underwent potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) laser nasopharyngectomy by endoscopic techniques with curative intent. Results. Twenty-five patients underwent surgery alone. Only 3 patients received postoperative adjuvant therapy. The 2-year local disease-free and 2-year overall survival rates for the 12 patients with rT1 tumor and for the 16 patients with rT2a tumor were 100% and 41.7% (p = .007); and 90.9% and 38.5% (p = .03), respectively. Only 3 patients had obvious osteonecrosis at the nasopharynx, and 1 patient developed hypoglossal nerve dysfuction. Conclusions. Endoscopic KTP laser nasopharyngectomy is a simple, safe, and successful procedure for treating rT1 NPC, though its benefits are less clear for rT2a.