Potential factors associated with clinical stage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma at diagnosis: a case–control study

Abstract

BackgroundIn China, most patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) are diagnosed at a late stage and consequently have a poor prognosis. This study aimed to investigate potential factors associated with the clinical stage of NPC at diagnosis.MethodsData were obtained from 118 patients with early-stage NPC and 274 with late-stage NPC who were treated at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between August 2014 and July 2015. Patients were individually matched by age, sex, and residence, and a conditional logistic regression model was applied to assess the associations of clinical stage at diagnosis with socioeconomic status indicators, knowledge of NPC, physical examinations, patient interval, and risk factors for NPC.ResultsAlthough knowledge of early NPC symptoms, smoking cessation, and patient interval were important factors, the number of cigarettes smoked per day, motorbike ownership, and physical examination exhibited the strongest associations with the clinical stage of NPC at diagnosis. Compared with smoking fewer than ten cigarettes a day, smoking 10–30 cigarettes [odds ratio (OR) 4.03; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–14.68] or more than 30 cigarettes (OR 11.46; 95% CI 1.26–103.91) was associated with an increased risk of late diagnosis. Compared with not owning a motorbike, owning a motorbike (OR 0.38; 95% CI 0.23–0.64) was associated with early diagnosis. Subjects who underwent physical examinations were less likely to receive a late diagnosis than those who did not undergo examinations (OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.28–0.89). However, indicators of wealth were not significant factors.ConclusionsInitiatives to improve NPC patient prognosis should aim to promote knowledge about early symptoms and detection, health awareness, and accessibility to health facilities among all patients, regardless of socioeconomic status.

Associations between environmental factors and serological Epstein‐Barr virus antibodies in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in South China

“…In this study for NPC patients, we further validated this perspective by identifying a dose‐response positive relationship between smoking and EBV DNase‐specific neutralizing antibody among advanced NPC patients. Additionally, we observed a strong dose‐response relationship between smoking and advanced NPC diagnosis, which was consistent with a previous study . EBV antibodies have been widely reported to be strongly related to NPC stage, as observed in this study.…”

“…Additionally, we observed a strong dose-response relationship between smoking and advanced NPC diagnosis, which was consistent with a previous study. 47 EBV antibodies have been widely reported to be strongly related to NPC stage, 48 as observed in this study. Therefore, the triangle relation among cigarette smoking, EBV antibodies, and NPC stage seemed particularly interesting and complicated to interpret.…”

The biological function and diagnostic value of miR-762 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

“…2 Moreover, the diagnosis of NPC is difficult at early stage with marked potential for metastasis, and the majority of patients are initially diagnosed locally. 3 Therefore, a better understanding of the metastatic potential of NPC and an effective biomarker are urgently required for the early diagnosis of NPC. 4,5 Micro-RNAs (miRNAs), a diverse class of endogenous noncoding RNAs, have been implicated in the occurrence, development, and metastasis of various cancers.…”

“…2 Moreover, the diagnosis of NPC is difficult at early stage with marked potential for metastasis, and the majority of patients are initially diagnosed locally. 3 Therefore, a better understanding of the metastatic potential of NPC and an effective biomarker are urgently required for the early diagnosis of NPC. 4,5…”

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Association with Lifestyle, Diets, Socioeconomic and Sociodemographic in Asian Region

“…Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is more common in Asian than in non-Asian countries. In 2012, 86,691 cases (60,896 in males and 25,795 in females) of NPC and 50,831 NPC-related deaths (35,753 in males and as consumption of preserved foods with NPC risk (Polesel et al, 2013;Lakhanpal et al, 2014;Ekpanyaskul et al, 2015;He et al, 2015;Lourembam et al, 2015;Xie et al, 2015;Ren et al, 2017;Yong et al, 2017). However, results across various studies have not been entirely consistent.…”