Research Progress of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

The main treatment method for nasopharyngeal carcinoma is radiotherapy. With the wide applications of intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) and other accurate radiotherapy technology and integrated treatment, the local control rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma has been improved to 90%. In order to improve the cure rate and reduce the recurrence or distant metastasis, the combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy has been a hot spot. As concurrent chemotherapy has become the standard treatment for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a hot spot in the research of comprehensive treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and whether patients would be benefit from neoadjuvant combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy has been a controversial issue. At the same time, due to the wide applications of IMRT, the status of concurrent chemotherapy is suspected. Whether the neoadjuvant chemotherapy could replace the concurrent chemotherapy and how to delineate the target area after neoadjuvant chemotherapy are worth further study in the era of IMRT. Therefore, this article reviews the nprogress of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.