Source: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
Written by: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On July 23, the Eighth Congress of Guangdong Provincial Association for Science and Technology was held in Guangdong Science Museum. Winners of the 3rd Nanyue Outstanding Science and Technology Innovation Paper Award were commended. The original article published by Professor Mai Haiqiang’s research team from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center won first prize. The article entitled “Concurrent chemoradiotherapy vs. radiotherapy alone in stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma: phase III randomized trial” was published in the top international journal of oncology (“J Natl Cancer Inst”) in 2011. Hu Chunhua, Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee; Shen Weichen, Executive Vice Chairman of China Association for Science and Technology; Zhu Xiaodan, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and Governor of Guangdong Province; Huang Longyun, Chairman of the Standing Committee of Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress; Zhu Mingguo, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and Chairman of the CPPCC Guangdong Provincial Committee, presented the awards to the winners.

This article reported the result of a perspective randomized phase III trial conducted by Professor Mai Haiqiang. It identified that concurrent chemoradiotherapy could significantly improve 5-year survival of stage II (with parapharyngeal invasion or regional lymph node metastasis) nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients for the first time in the world, and it established concurrent chemoradiotherapy as standard treatment model for stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. As always, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline recommends concurrent chemoradiotherapy with/without adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II patients (but there is no evidence from randomized clinical trial), while China Anticancer Association recommends radiotherapy alone for these patients because of the lack of high qualified evidence from randomized clinical trial. The result was cited immediately by 2012 EHNS/ESMO/ESTRO guideline for nasopharyngeal carcinoma when published, and it was recommended as category I evidence.

It is reported that the Nanyue Outstanding Science and Technology Innovation Paper Award is hosted by Guangdong Provincial Association for Science and Technology. A total of 5 articles won first prize, 20 articles won second prize, and 55 articles won third prize this time.