TREATMENT RESULTS OF STAGES I-IVA NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA IN ELDERLY PATIENTS AT THAI NGUYEN NATIONAL HOSPITAL
Main Article Content
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the treatment outcomes of 26 elderly patients diagnosed with stage I–IVA nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated at Thai Nguyen National Hospital.
Research subjects and Methods: A longitudinal retrospective cohort study was conducted on 26 elderly patients (≥ 60 years) with a confirmed diagnosis of stage I–IVA nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated at Thai Nguyen Central Hospital from January 1, 2021, to June 30, 2025. The study was carried out from January 1, 2026, to July 31, 2026. Treatment response was evaluated using RECIST 1.1 criteria. Disease-free survival (DFS) was calculated from the completion of treatment to the documented occurrence of recurrence, distant metastasis, or death. DFS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method with SPSS software.
Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 66.2 ± 4.68 years, with males accounting for 84.6%. The majority of patients presented for medical evaluation within the first 3 months of symptom onset (61.5%), and 61.5% of patients were at stage III–IVA. Definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy was the primary regimen (57.7%). The complete response (CR) rate in the group receiving a radiation dose of < 70 Gy was higher than that in the group receiving adequate dose ≥ 70 Gy (70.0% vs. 18.8%; p = 0.024); however, this is an observed association in a small sample size, influenced by clinical confounding factors, and should absolutely not be inferred as dose reduction increasing efficacy. The median DFS was 12.3 months (95% CI: 8.08–16.51 months); the DFS rates at 6, 12, and 18 months were 96.0%, 57.6%, and 38.4%, respectively.
Conclusion: This preliminary study reflects the treatment outcomes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in elderly patients at a regional hospital. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is a feasible regimen; however, the rapid decline in disease-free survival over time warrants close monitoring and further evaluation in larger cohort studies.
Keywords
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, elderly patients, clinical characteristics, radiation dose, survival time
Article Details
References
2. Phạm Tiến Chung, Ngô Thanh Tùng. Nghiên cứu phác đồ hóa xạ trị đồng thời có hóa trị trước cho ung thư vòm mũi họng giai đoạn N2,3 M0 tại Bệnh viện K. Hanoi Medical University (2018).
3. Phạm Lâm Sơn. Đánh giá kết quả điều trị phối hợp cisplatin liều thấp và xạ trị điều biến liều bệnh ung thư vòm họng giai đoạn IIB-III. Tạp chí Y Học Việt Nam (2023).
4. Bray, F. et al. Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. 74, 229-263 (2024).
5. Guo, Q. et al. Modified reduced-volume intensity-modulated radiation therapy in non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A prospective observation series. 156, 251-257 (2021).
6. Keating, N. J. E. J. o. A. A research framework for the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030). 19, 775-787 (2022).
7. Leu, Y.-S. et al. Prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the elderly is worse than in younger individuals–experience of a medical institute. 8, 81-84 (2014).