Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma predominantly presents as a localized disease in the upper aerodigestive tract from the nasal cavity to the hypopharynx. Because
radiotherapy has better outcomes than
chemotherapy with reduced locoregional failure, it should be considered the preferred first-line
therapy. However, the addition of
chemotherapy is appropriate as part of the initial treatment because of the frequent systemic progression or relapse after
radiotherapy. At present, the combination of
radiotherapy and
chemotherapy can be considered an effective treatment option, and the promising results of recent prospective studies with
concurrent chemoradiotherapy support this treatment strategy. In contrast, intensive
chemotherapy should be considered as initial treatment for patients with
tumors in non-upper-aerodigestive-tract sites, such as skin or intestine because they usually progress to systemic disease. Likewise, for patients with poor prognostic factors, such as a high NK
lymphoma prognostic index, autologous
stem cell transplantation during remission and additional treatments with central nervous system prophylaxis may be beneficial. However, the precise role of these treatments needs to be clarified further by prospective clinical trials. Thus, a prospective study is warranted to explore a risk-adapted treatment strategy of applying initial
chemoradiotherapy and additional consolidation treatments.