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Survival rates of nasopharyngeal cancer in California. A review of 516 cases from 1942 through 1965
Author(s) -
Schnohr Peter
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197005)25:5<1099::aid-cncr2820250515>3.0.co;2-z
Subject(s) - medicine , nasopharyngeal cancer , cancer , oncology , nasopharyngeal carcinoma , radiation therapy
This study concerns the survival of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinomas in California. The information was obtained from the California Tumor Registry and covers the period from 1942 through 1965. During this period 516 cases were initially diagnosed in Registry hospitals as nasopharyngeal cancer. The patients represented different ethnic groups, but only the Caucasians and Chinese were studied. Among these, carcinomas (primary epithelial tumors) were diagnosed in 343 Caucasian and 67 Chinese patients. The carcinomas of the Caucasian patients represent 0.1% of all their tumors reported to the Registry over this period; for the Chinese they represented 6.6%. The male/female ratio was 2.4:1 for the Caucasians and 4.2:1 for the Chinese. The 5‐year survival was 22% for Caucasian males, 27% for Caucasian females, 21% for Chinese males, and 29% for Chinese females. The average age was 55.3 years for Caucasian males, 55.1 years for Caucasian females, 46.4 years for Chinese males, and 46.0 years for Chinese females. To evaluate the survival after treatment with supervoltage radiotherapy, which has been the treatment of choice in California since about 1955, the 343 Caucasian patients were divided into 2 time periods—1942–1957 and 1958–1965. The 5‐year survival in the earlier period was 17% for males, in the later, 26%; for females in the earlier period, 25%; in the later, 29%. Further examination of the improved survival in the later as compared to the earlier period among men showed that this was largely confined to cases with regional spread. The role of supervoltage beam therapy in the limited improved survival in the 2 time periods is uncertain with these limited data.