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. 2024 Jun 15;14(6):3142-3152.
doi: 10.62347/WMLA4979. eCollection 2024.

The use of adjuvant chemotherapy combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy enhances survival rates in cases of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Yongliang Liu  1   2 , Yan Li  3 , Ying Hou  2 , Zhenan Zhao  2 , Guoquan Wang  2 , Chunmiao Gao  2 , Yuqing Sun  2 , Na Li  4 , Yan Jiang  1
Affiliations

The use of adjuvant chemotherapy combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy enhances survival rates in cases of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Yongliang Liu et al. Am J Cancer Res. .

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on survival rates, adverse events, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A retrospective cohort study was conducted, including patients with firstly histologically confirmed non-metastatic stage III-IVB NPC between February 2018 and February 2020, and with continuous follow-up data available, were chosen from the medical records of the affiliated hospital of Qingdao University and Zibo Central Hospital. There were 395 patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with adjuvant chemotherapy (adjuvant chemotherapy group) and 428 patients receiving CCRT alone (control group). The two groups were compared for treatment response, adverse events, and QOL scores. Besides, Kaplan-Meier plots, and multivariate COX analysis were conducted. The adjuvant chemotherapy group demonstrated a significantly higher overall survival and disease-free survival compared to the control group. The use of adjuvant chemotherapy was significantly correlated with improved overall survival and disease-free survival. Adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with reduced local recurrence and distant metastasis rates. However, higher rates of adverse events were observed in the adjuvant chemotherapy group. QOL scores for physical functioning, emotional functioning, and overall quality of life were higher in the adjuvant chemotherapy group. The findings of this study indicate that adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced NPC is associated with improved treatment response, extended overall and disease-free survivals, and better QOL, despite higher rates of adverse events.

Keywords: Locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma; adjuvant chemotherapy; quality of life; survival outcomes; treatment response.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overall survival analysis for the two types of strategy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Disease-free survival analysis for the two types of strategy.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The comparison of quality of life (QOL) scores between the adjuvant chemotherapy and control groups. A. Physical functioning; B. Emotional functioning; C. Overall QOL score.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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