Treatment outcome of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Nigeria: An institutional experience

Abstract

Objective: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma occurs worldwide. The incidence varies according to geographical region, with the highest incidence recorded in Asian countries. In Nigeria, the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is increasing. Thus, current treatment outcomes must be evaluated to identify areas of possible improvement in the management of this disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcome after 2 years in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: This was a retrospective study that used the records of patients treated for nasopharyngeal carcinoma at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, between 2000 and 2009. The treatment regimen of interest was radical concurrent chemoradiotherapy using cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil. Results: A total of 161 patients were included in the analysis, of which 113 (70%) were men and 48 (30%) were women. The mean age of the patients was 41.7 years (range 15–89 years). Ten (6.3%) patients presented with early-stage disease, whereas 149 (93.7%) had late-stage disease. The median survival time was 22 months, and the overall disease-free survival rates were 67% and 46% at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Late side-effects included chronic otitis (n = 21, 13.2%), change in voice (n = 11, 6.8%), trismus (n = 7, 4.4%), neck and facial edema (n = 27, 16.7%), and neck fibrosis (n = 8, 4.9%). Conclusions: The treatment outcome in this study is worse than in previous studies in developed countries. This is likely because most patients presented with late-stage disease. Guidelines for the early diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma are required, and local studies on treatment regimens that can improve survival should be carried out.