Table 1.
Summary of studies included in the meta-analysis
| Study | No. of patients | Inclusion period | Group | Histology (WHO grade, No.) | Stage | Radiotherapy | Chemotherapy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | II | III | Concurrent | Adjuvant | ||||||
| Kwong et al, [10] 2004 | 165 | 1995-2001 | CCRT RT | 1 1 | 14 4 | 95 50 |
AJCC stage II -IV, any T, any N | 2.5GyFx/5days/wk, primary site- 68Gy, Nodes- 66Gy, + 10Gy boost dose were given for pharyngeal extension and residual nodes | UFT 200 mg/day/7 days a wk | Alternating Cisplatin 100 mg/m2 day1 and 5FU 1 gm/m2/d day 1-3 and VBM regimen (Vincristine 2 mg, bleomycin 30 mg, MTX 150 mg/m2) every 3wks for 6 cycles. |
| Chan et al, [11] 2005 | 350 | 1994-1997 | CCRT RT | 2 1 | 12 7 | 160 168 | AJCC stage II to IV, any T, any N, M0 | 66Gy in 33Fx per 6.5 wks + additional boost in case of parapharyngeal extension, residual neck nodes, and/or residual nasopharyngeal disease (Brachytherapy) | Cisplatin 40 mg/m2 in day1 weekly | None |
| Wee et al, [12] 2005 | 221 | 1997-2003 | CCRT RT | - | 100% grade II and III | AJCC stage II to IV, any T, any N | 70Gy (2Gy/d in 5Fx/wk for 7 wks) | CDDP 25 mg/m2/d for 4 days, alternatively 30/30/40 mg/m2/d for 3 days if patient starts RT on Wednesday | CDDP 20 mg/m2/d × 4 days, 5FU 1000 mg/m2/d × 4 days | |
| Lee et al, [13,18] 2005,2010 | 348 | 1999-2004 | CCRT RT | - | 100% grade II | AJCC stage III and IV, any T, N2 or N3, M0 | ≥66Gy (2Gy/Fx/d, 5Fx/wk) + additional boosts to the parapharyngeal space, the primary or nodal sites when indicated not exceeding 20Gy | Cisplatin 100 mg/m2 × 3wks on days 1,22,43 | CDDP 80 mg/m2 and 5FU 1000 mg/m2/d every 4 wks on days 71,99 and 127 | |
| Zhang et al, [14] 2005 | 115 | 2001-2003 | CCRT RT | - | 100% grade II and III | AJCC stage III and IV, any T, N2 or N3, M0 | 70-74Gy (2Gy/Fx/d, 5fx/wk) + additional boost in case of parapharyngeal extension, residual neck nodes and/or residual nasopharyngeal disease | 6× Oxaliplatin 70 mg/m2 weekly | None | |
| Lee et al, [15,17] 2006,2009 | 93 | 1999-2004 | CCRT RT | - | 100% grade II | AJCC stage III and IV, T3-4, N0-1, M0 | ≥66Gy (2Gy/Fx/d, 5Fx/wk) + Additional boosts to the parapharyngeal space, the primary or nodal sites when indicated not exceeding 20Gy | Cisplatin 100 mg/m2 × 3wks on days 1,22,43 | Cisplatin 80 mg/m2 and 5FU 1000 mg/m2/d on days 71,99 and 127 | |
| Chen et al, [16] 2008 | 316 | 2002-2005 | CCRT RT | - | 100% grade II and III | AJCC stage III and IVA-B, T1-4, N0-3, | ≥68Gy (2Gy/Fx/d, 5Fx/wk) in 7 weeks + additional boost in case of parapharyngeal extension, residual neck nodes and/or residual nasopharyngeal disease | Cisplatin 40 mg/m2 day1 weekly × 7wks | Cisplatin 80 mg/m2 day1 and 5FU 800 mg/m2/d on days1-5 every 4wks for 3 cycles. | |
Abbreviation: CDDP, Cisplatin; UICC, International Union Against Cancer; AJCC, American Joint Committee on cancer; FU, Fluorouracil