Correlation of Epstein‐Barr virus DNA in cell‐free plasma, functional imaging and clinical course in locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the feasibility of using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in monitoring Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA concentrations in cell-free plasma of patients with localized nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with chemoradiation. METHODS: Cell-free plasma EBV DNA was quantified in six patients with locally advanced, nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) who underwent chemoradiation …