2011 Annual Report: Combination Therapy May Prevent Spread of Nasopharyngeal Tumors


While nasopharyngeal cancer is relatively rare in the United States, it is more widespread in other parts of the world, including Asia and North Africa. Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers showed that people with cancer of the nasopharynx, an area behind the nose, may benefit from a new combination therapy. A team of international investigators from North America and Hong Kong, led by a Memorial Sloan Kettering radiation oncologist, reported that adding the drug bevacizumab (Avastin®) to the current standard therapy might prevent the spread of nasopharyngeal tumors to other parts of the body, prolonging the lives of patients.