Clinical and imaging characteristics of 53 ulcers of post-radiation nasopharyngeal necrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

It is widely accepted that a mucosal ulcer induced by radiation (RIMU) is the predominant type of post-radiation nasopharyngeal ulcer in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who underwent radiotherapy (RT); however, another type of ulcer, an ulcer of post-radiation nasopharyngeal necrosis (UPRNN), has rarely been reported for patients with NPC. In the present study, the clinical and imaging features of 53 patients who were treated at the Zhejiang Provincial Cancer Center (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China) between March 2009 and December 2015, and who were diagnosed with UPRNN, were reviewed. The clinical factors, laboratory examinations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and endoscopic findings were analysed. A UPRNN has its characteristic imaging features and ulcer locations at the primary tumour bed, which are different from a traditional RIMU. In the retrospective analysis of the clinical factors, a tumour (T) 3/4 stage, with invasion of muscular tissue, poor response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and anaemia during the RT, may be associated with the occurrence of a UPRNN. To evaluate the severity, a UPRNN was divided into three grades according to the invasion depth of the ulcer based on its appearance in MRI, and the subsequent treatment and prognosis varied according to the severity of the UPRNN. In conclusion, a UPRNN has its clinical features and characteristic MRI appearances, and the occurrence of a UPRNN may be associated with several clinical factors.