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. 2024 Mar 4;87(2):e20220241.
doi: 10.5935/0004-2749.2022-0241. eCollection 2024.

Ophthalmic manifestations of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC): A systematic review of reported cases with and without prior history of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Hind Manaa Alkatan  1   2   3 , Saleh Hamad Alrashed  1 , Azza My Maktabi  4
Affiliations

Ophthalmic manifestations of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC): A systematic review of reported cases with and without prior history of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Hind Manaa Alkatan et al. Arq Bras Oftalmol. .

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to study reported cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma presenting with ophthalmic manifestations with and without a prior diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A literature search was conducted using the MEDLINE database in PubMed and Google Scholar. We included patients with a previous diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Group I and those without a prior diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Group II. Data included demographics, clinical presentation, history of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, treatment, histopathological description, World Health Organization classification, and outcome.

Results: Fifty-eight patients (26 in Group I and 32 in Group II) were included. The male-to-female ratio was 3:1. The mean age of the patients (53.3 ± 11.7 years and 54.8 ± 16.2 years, respectively) and gender did not differ significantly between the two groups. The most common ocular presentations were diplopia and proptosis in the first group (each in 34.6%), whereas visual disturbance was most common in the second group (46.9%). Treatment options and World Health Organization grading were comparable. The outcome in 38 patients (after a comparable follow-up period) was significantly better in group II (p=0.003). There was no statistically significant difference in the outcome of 23 patients in correlation with World Health Organization grades II versus III irrespective of group (p=0.094).

Conclusions: The demographics of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma presenting with ophthalmic manifestations were similar between the two study groups, with a wide age range and male predominance. Patients presenting initially to ophthalmologists with no history of nasopharyngeal carcinoma have a more favorable outcome. World Health Organization grading may have less value as a prognostic indicator.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest: None of the authors have any potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram indicating the process of our literature search, data collection, and management.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Demonstration of the clinical presentation in the two groups with and without a known history (Hx) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Example of WHO grade II NPC with nonkeratinizing islands of squamous cell carcinoma (white star) and surrounding chronic inflammation (original magnification ×200 hematoxylin and eosin). (B) The areas of tumor expressing a reaction to Pan-cytokeratin immunohistochemical marker (original magnification ×200 CytoK).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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