Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Prior cancer is a common exclusion criterion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) trials. However, whether a prior cancer diagnosis affects trial outcomes is still unknown. We aimed to determine the impact of prior cancer on survival in NPC patients. METHODS: -test as appropriate. Propensity score-adjusted Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the impact of prior cancer on overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Among 3,131 eligible NPC patients, 349 (11.15%) patients had a history of prior cancer. The Kaplan-Meier curves did not show a statistically significantly different OS (P=0.19). Subgroup analyses stratified by timing of prior cancer and AJCC TNM stage of index cancer displayed the same tendency: prior cancer did not adversely affect OS compared to patients without prior cancer (P>0.05). Furthermore, in propensity score-adjusted COX models analysis, patients with prior cancer had the same/non-inferior OS [hazard ratio (HR) =1.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.88 to 1.42]. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with NPC, prior cancer does not convey an adverse effect on clinical outcomes, regardless of the timing of prior cancer and AJCC TNM stage of index cancer. Broader inclusion trial criteria could be adopted in NPC patients with a history of prior cancer. However, further studies are still needed to confirm this conclusion.
Source: Annals of Translational Medicine
Language: English
Topic: Head and Neck Cancer Studies
Subfield: Otorhinolaryngology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2953392360