Evaluation of Volume of Nasopharyngeal Cancers by the Cavalieri Principle.

Prediction of tumor volume using the Cavalieri method may be helpful in management of therapy and evaluation of treatment results. The aim of this study was to adapt the Cavalieri stereological method to magnetic resonance imaging for determining volume of nasopharyngeal cancers and assess changes after treatment using the Cavalieri method. Serial MRI images in the sagittal plane were obtained from a total of 33 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinomas (11 with stage T2, 11 with stage T3, and 11 with stage T4 lesions). The images were analyzed retrospectively before and two months following the cessation of radiochemotherapy for comparison. Average tumor volumes before and after treatment in patients with stage T2 were 21. 5+/-10.5 cm3 and 2.82+/-3.43 cm3, respectively (p=0.000). The respective figures were 35.1+/-19.0 cm3 and 6.27+/-7.82 cm3 (p=0.000) for stage T3 cases, and 62.8+/-27.8 cm3 and 11. 6+/-11.9 cm3 (p=0.000) for stage T4. Post-treatment tumor volumes were statistically reduced when compared to pre-treatment volumes in all stages.