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Background: The current retrospective study aimed to identify some determinants of survival in metastatic NPC., Methods: The study concerned 95 patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated between 1993 and 2001. Statistical comparison between patients subgroups survival was carried out employing the log-Rank test (statistical significance was defined as p45 years and25 years), gender, performance status at diagnosis of metastatic disease (PS 0-1 or 2-3), time of metastasis diagnosis(at presentation or later), number of metastatic sites (single or multiple), specific metastatic sites(bone, liver, lung, distant nodes), number of bone metastasis (single or multiple), disease free survival (DFI) (6 months), prior chemotherapy, radiotherapy of metastatic sites., Results: Negative prognostic factors in univariate analysis were: poor PS (>or=1), multiple metastatic sites, multiple bone metastasis, previous chemotherapy, visceral or node metastasis and non irradiated metastasis. Poor PS, multiple metastatic sites, and prior chemotherapy were independently significant negative prognostic factors in multivariable analysis., Conclusions: In this study we identified new prognostic factors in univariate and multivariate analysis. A regular and careful follow-up of patients treated for NPC is then recommended in order to detect early metastatic dissemination (with minimal localizations) while patients have still a good PS.

Purpose: The objective of this retrospective study was to discuss the epidemioclinical criteria and the therapeutic results of metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma., Patients and Methods: The current study concerned 95 patients with histologically proven nasopharyngeal carcinoma who were metastatic at diagnosis or who had developed late metastasis. We reviewed the epidemioclinical records of all the patients. Patients were treated with chemotherapy (BEC regimen: bleomycin, epirubicin and cisplatin or PBF regimen: bleomycin, 5-fluorouacil and cisplatin) and radiotherapy of pauci metastatic localizations (single or double) or bone metastasis with high risk of compression or fracture+/-associated with locoregional radiotherapy for patients who were metastatic at diagnosis. Response was assessed according to the WHO criteria. Overall survival was calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier method. A long-term disease-free survival was defined from 36 months., Results: There were 34 patients who were metastatic at diagnosis and 61 patients who had developed late metastasis. The mean age was 41.5 years (sex-ratio: 3.1). Bone metastases were the most frequent (83%). Objective and complete response rates were respectively 75% and 70%, and 32% and 16% for BEC and PBF regimens. Twenty-five patients received radiotherapy for pauci metastatic localizations, among whom 19 patients who were metastatic at diagnosis received locoregional irradiation. The overall survival probability was of 15% for three years. Eleven patients were long survivors (extremes: 36 and 134 months)., Conclusion: Therapeutic results were comparable to those reported in other series using platin combination chemotherapy. Radiotherapy of metastasis yielded to long-term survival.

Purpose: The aim of this work is to study the epidemiological, clinical and evolutive characteristics of the erysipela in patients treated for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)., Patients and Methods: Between January 1993 and June 2003, 212 patients were treated for NPC in the radiotherapy department of Sfax hospital. Twenty-two patients among them have presented an erysipela. A neoadjuvant chemotherapy was used for 16 patients with N2-N3 disease. Locoregional radiotherapy was delivered for all of patients., Results: The mean age was 35 years (range: 10 and 69), sex-ratio was 1.2. The median delay between the appearance of erysipela and the end of the treatment was 16 months. The main localisation was the face. The main clinical manifestations were fever in 86% of cases and erythema in 77% of cases. Immediate evolution was favorable in all cases after antibiotherapy. Recurrences were observed in 45% in cases., Conclusion: Erysipela is a common skin infection readly found in patients with venous insufficiency. In our study we found a significant correlation between the frequency of erysipela and dystrophic complications. The incidence of erysipela in the face and cervical region after radiotherapy is unknown.

Radio-induced tumor have been known for a long time to occur after treatment of cancer during childhood. This entity is exceptional following radiotherapy of the cavum. Skull and facial osteosarcoma were described after treatment of UCNT. We report two observations of radio-induced tumors arising, respectively three and seven years after treatment of UCNT. The first one is a temporoparietal glioblastoma and the second is a rhino- and pharyngeal myxoma. The two patients are alive after treatment of the second tumor. The delay of appearance of these tumors, their situation in the field's irradiated and dose received suggests their radio-induced nature. However, the cytogenetic study is necessary to confirm the implication of radiotherapy in the genesis of these cancers.