Analysis on Clinical Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Patients with Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> To explore the independent prognostic factors for the recurrence/metastasis of patients withlocoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC). Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: A total of 604 patientsinitially diagnosed as LANPC by pathohistology in Fujian Provincial Cancer Hospital were selected to analyzethe relationship between the clinical pathological patterns, therapeutic protocols and clinical stages with therecurrence/metastasis of LANPC. <br/><b>Results</b>: The 1-, 3- and 5-year locoregionally recurrent rates of LANPC patientswere 2.0%, 9.5% and 12.9% respectively, with average recurrent period being 78 months. Univariate analysisresults indicated that clinical stages had certain influence on the recurrent period of LANPC patients. However,COX regression models showed that ages, genders and clinical stages were not the independent prognostic factorsinfluencing the recurrence. The 1-, 3- and 5-year metastatic rates of LANPC patients were 6.6%, 17.5% and18.8% respectively, with average metastatic period of 73 months. Univariate analysis results demonstrated thatages, N stages, clinical stages, locations of lymph node, retropharyngeal lymph node and extracapsular invasionof lymph node had certain influence on the metastatic period of LANPC patients. Additionally, further COXregression analysis results suggested that T stages, reduction protocols and extracapsular invasion of lymph nodewere the independent prognostic factors influencing the metastasis of patients with LANPC, in which T stagesand extracapsular invasion of lymph node were the pestilent factors while reduction protocols the protectivefactor. <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: Induction chemotherapy is beneficial to LANPC patients with initial treatment, and themetastatic rate decreases greatly after the application of reduction chemotherapy.