In 47 previously untreated patients with nasopharyngeal cancer, curative doses of linear accelerator radiation were administered. The absolute survival rate without clinical evidence of disease was 27/47 (58%). More deaths resulted from intercurrent disease and metastases (11 patients) than from persistent primary and/or regional nodal disease (9 patients). Aggressive therapy of clinically involved and uninvolved cervical node disease is supported by 76% (28/37) and 98% (38/39) control rates, respectively. Curative irradiation by a variety of techniques resulted in an average survival of three years after retreatment, with only one local tumor recurrence at death. Second primary tumors occurred in 6 of 58 patients (10%).