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Case Report Open Access

Individualized treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lung metastasis in an elderly patient: A case report

  • Authors:
    • Tengteng Cai
  • View Affiliations / Copyright

    Affiliations: Department of Radiotherapy, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200434, P.R. China
    Copyright: © Cai et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.
  • Article Number: 488
    |
    Published online on: August 19, 2025
       https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15234
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Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common head and neck malignancy, particularly in southern China, with distant metastasis posing significant treatment challenges, particularly in elderly patients. This case report details the successful management of a 90‑year‑old male with NPC and lung metastasis. The patient underwent intensity‑modulated radiotherapy for the nasopharyngeal tumor (70 Gy/35 fractions) with concurrent oral capecitabine, followed by stereotactic body radiotherapy (60 Gy/12 fractions) and immunotherapy (tislelizumab) for progressive lung lesions. Maintenance therapy with capecitabine was continued and the patient achieved stable disease with minimal adverse effects. This case highlights the efficacy of individualized multimodal therapy, including precision radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, in an elderly patient with NPC with metastasis, offering a potential framework for similar cases.
View Figures

Figure 1

(A) Nasopharyngeal CT examination
before radiotherapy; (B) nasopharyngeal magnetic resonance
examination one month after radiotherapy; (C) nasopharyngeal
magnetic resonance examination six months after radiotherapy; (D)
nasopharyngeal magnetic resonance examination one year after
radiotherapy; (E) nasopharyngeal magnetic resonance examination one
and a half years after radiotherapy.

Figure 2

(A) Lung CT scan taken during the
initial visit; (B) lung CT images before radiotherapy; (C) lung CT
one month after radiotherapy; (D) lung CT six months after
radiotherapy; (E) lung CT one year after radiotherapy.
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Copy and paste a formatted citation
Spandidos Publications style
Cai T: Individualized treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lung metastasis in an elderly patient: A case report. Oncol Lett 30: 488, 2025.
APA
Cai, T. (2025). Individualized treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lung metastasis in an elderly patient: A case report. Oncology Letters, 30, 488. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15234
MLA
Cai, T."Individualized treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lung metastasis in an elderly patient: A case report". Oncology Letters 30.4 (2025): 488.
Chicago
Cai, T."Individualized treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lung metastasis in an elderly patient: A case report". Oncology Letters 30, no. 4 (2025): 488. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15234
Copy and paste a formatted citation
x
Spandidos Publications style
Cai T: Individualized treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lung metastasis in an elderly patient: A case report. Oncol Lett 30: 488, 2025.
APA
Cai, T. (2025). Individualized treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lung metastasis in an elderly patient: A case report. Oncology Letters, 30, 488. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15234
MLA
Cai, T."Individualized treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lung metastasis in an elderly patient: A case report". Oncology Letters 30.4 (2025): 488.
Chicago
Cai, T."Individualized treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lung metastasis in an elderly patient: A case report". Oncology Letters 30, no. 4 (2025): 488. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15234
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