APPROXIMATELY one-half of all patients with cancer of the nasopharynx die from local recurrence without neck node or distant metastases.1-3The care of these patients thus constitutes a major problem in the management of cancer of the nasopharynx. In 1940, Martin and Blady4stated "if the growth recurs in the nasopharynx after local irradiation, the same dose cannot be repeated even after a long interval, since the local tissues never return to normal. In the average cases the patient will probably be better if such local recurrences are left alone." However, Schmidt5reported in 1962 that four of 26 patients treated for local recurrence were living and apparently free of disease at the time of report. Little et al1in 1963 reported a patient with recurrence surviving two years after retreatment free of disease. Hare and Crews6in 1963 reported that four of 13 patients