Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess the overall survival (OS) of patients with nasopharyngeal cancer and the factors affecting the survival rates.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was performed, including 77 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer diagnosed and treated in the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic of the University Hospital of Patras during 1990-2017. The prognostic impact of age, gender, occupation, smoking/alcohol, and TNM staging were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis.ResultsDuring the last 28 years, nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) was higher in men (80.5% of patients) than women (19.5%) (mean age 56-years). Most patients were smokers (64.9%, mean 70 pack-years) and 35 (45.5%) of them were alcohol users. Postoperative staging indicated 39% stage-III, 26% stage-IV, and 26% stage-I. Histologically, 70.1% of the volumes were WHO-III, 20.8% WHO-II, and 5.2% WHO-I. Also, 98.7% of patients received radiotherapy, 85.7% chemotherapy, and 20.8% surgery. More than half were farmers (26%), self-employed (16.9%), and workers (14.3). During the follow-up (mean 66 months), 38 (49.5%) patients died, 88.9% from disease-related causes. The 5-year survival was 58.8%, 74.5% for non-smokers, and 49.1% for smokers, and 10-year survival was 43.6%, 63.4%, and 31.6%, respectively (p=0.016). Moreover, significant statistical differences were observed in age (p=0.054), time period of diagnosis and treatment (p=0.002), cause of death (p=0.033), and metastatic disease (p=0.023).ConclusionsAge, stage in disease detection, tumor characteristics, treatment, and tobacco abuse are important factors that affect the OS of patients with NPC during the three last decades.
Highlights
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a relatively rare neoplasm representing 0.8% (1.1% in males and 0.4% in females) of all human neoplasia worldwide [1]
Significant statistical differences were observed in age (p=0.054), time period of diagnosis and treatment (p=0.002), cause of death (p=0.033), and metastatic disease (p=0.023)
Stage in disease detection, tumor characteristics, treatment, and tobacco abuse are important factors that affect the overall survival (OS) of patients with NPC during the three last decades
Summary
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a relatively rare neoplasm representing 0.8% (1.1% in males and 0.4% in females) of all human neoplasia worldwide [1]. According to global statistics on cancer, in 2018, there were over 129,079 cases of NPC [1]. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma can occur at any age, but the majority of cases are diagnosed in adults between the third and fifth decades. Symptoms of NPC vary and are atypical in the early stages of the disease, leading to a delay in diagnosis. As a matter of fact, the NPC appears to be associated with smoking, alcohol, dietary, professional, and genetic factors, and histological subtypes that are directly related to the Epstein-Barr virus infection [1,3]
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