Inherently poor survival of elderly patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the features of the elderly patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods The medical records of 212 patients with NPC, aged ≥65 years, and receiving radiotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. Comorbidity was rated using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Results Twenty‐four patients (11.3%) scored ≥3 and 188 patients (88.7%) scored <3 rated by CCI. The median actuarial irradiated dose of the nasopharynx was 72 Gy (range, 20–94 Gy) with 87.3% patients receiving >70 Gy. One hundred fifty‐four patients had stage III/IV disease. The actuarial local control, cancer‐specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) rates at 5 years were 68.8%, 63.5%, and 47.0%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, stage (hazard ratio [HR], 1.489; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.168–1.897; p = .001), the technique of radiotherapy (HR, 0.674; 95% CI, 0.476–0.953; p = .025), and anemia (HR, 3.081; 95% CI, 1.624–5.845; p = .001) were independent prognostic factors. Conclusion The elderly patients with NPC may inherently predict poor outcomes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 37: 771–776, 2015