Selective Neck Dissection Under Multimodal Assessment for N3 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma After Radiotherapy

Patients with N3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma remain at risk of residual cervical lymph node disease after radiotherapy. Conventional imaging may have difficulty distinguishing viable residual tumor from post-radiotherapy edema, fibrosis, scarring, or inflammation. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) provides information on lymph node microvascular perfusion and may complement routine follow-up assessment. For patients with suspected residual cervical lymph node disease, selective neck dissection may be considered as a salvage treatment option.

This prospective, single-center, single-arm phase I study enrolled patients with pathologically confirmed N3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma. After completion of radiotherapy, participants underwent multimodal cervical lymph node follow-up evaluation, including clinical assessment, conventional imaging, Epstein-Barr virus DNA testing, and CEUS. During follow-up, participants with suspicious residual cervical lymph nodes identified by multimodal evaluation and considered suitable for surgical intervention underwent selective neck dissection. Participants were followed for adverse events, postoperative complications, disease progression, locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis, and survival outcomes. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of this multimodal evaluation-guided surveillance-intervention strategy.

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 18 to 70 years.
• Pathologically confirmed nasopharyngeal non-keratinizing carcinoma (differentiated or undifferentiated, i.e., WHO Type II or III).
• Tumor staged as TanyN3M0 according to the 8th Edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control (AJCC/UICC) staging system.
• ECOG performance status 0-1.
• No previous neck dissection.
• Adequate hematologic, hepatic, and renal function, defined as: white blood cell count ≥4.0 × 10^9/L, absolute neutrophil count ≥2.0 × 10^9/L, hemoglobin ≥90 g/L, platelet count ≥100 × 10^9/L, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase ≤2.5 × the upper limit of normal, and creatinine clearance ≥60 mL/min
• Written informed consent provided prior to study enrollment

Exclusion criteria

• Ongoing receipt of other antitumor treatment or concurrent participation in another interventional clinical trial.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Severe concomitant disease that may, in the investigator's judgment, pose an unacceptable risk or compromise study compliance, including severe cardiac disease, severe pulmonary dysfunction, significant renal disease, or severe psychiatric illness.
• History of another invasive malignancy within 5 years before enrollment, except for adequately treated basal cell carcinoma of the skin, cervical carcinoma in situ, or superficial bladder tumors (Ta, Tis, or T1).