Evaluation of factors affecting survival of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Introduction and Aim: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignancy arising from the epithelial layer of the nasopharynx. NPC constitutes 0.6% of newly diagnosed cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the factors affecting treatment response and survival in patients with NPC. Material and Methods: In this study, patients with NPC who applied to Dicle University Medical Faculty Medical Oncology Clinic between January 2010 and May 2020 were examined. Patients over 18 years of age were included in the study. In the study, the overall survival times of the patients and the clinical and laboratory factors and treatment modalities affecting these periods were investigated. Results: In our study, data of 76 patients diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer were analyzed. The median age of the patients was 46 years (18-84) and the mean age was 45 years. Eighteen (23.7%) of the patients were female and 58 (76.3%) were male. The number of patients under 50 years of age was 39 (51.3%), and the number of patients 50 years and over was 37 (48.7%). The mean follow-up period of the patients was 44 months, and the median follow-up period was 28 months. 25 of the patients (32.9%) had died and 51 (67.1%) were alive. Kaplan-meier analysis revealed mean survival time of 108 (SD 10.2; CI: 88.1-128.2) months. The median survival time was not reached yet. It was determined that advanced stage disease, low BMI at the time of diagnosis and high LDH value statistically negatively affected survival. Conclusion: In our study, three important parameters such as LDH level, BMI and stage were observed prognostic factors affecting survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. KEYWORDS: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, prognostic factors, survival