Ten-year outcomes of a randomised trial for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A single-institution experience from an endemic area.

OBJECTIVE: We previously reported the five-year results of a randomised trial that compared induction chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy (IC+CCRT) with induction chemotherapy plus radiotherapy (IC+RT) in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The aim of this study was to report the ten-year results and to explore potential prognostic factors. METHODS: From August 2002 to April 2005, 408 patients with locoregionally advanced NPC were randomly assigned to receive either IC (carboplatin and floxuridine)+CCRT (carboplatin) or IC+RT. The survival rates were analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify valuable prognostic factors. RESULTS: The ten-year overall survival, failure-free survival, locoregional failure-free survival and distant failure-free survival rates for the entire patient cohort were 49.5%, 48.0%, 80.8% and 66.9%, respectively. No significant survival differences were found between the IC+CCRT and IC+RT arms. By 3 years from the date of randomisation, 62.5% of the relapses had been detected; no recurrence occurred after 8 years. Within 3 years after randomisation, 77.0% of the metastases were detected; 0.8% was identified after 8 years. Age, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) N-stage, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and body mass index (BMI) were independent prognostic factors that predicted death. Smoking status and total radiotherapy dose were independent prognostic factors that predicted locoregional recurrence. UICC N-stage, LDH and BMI were independent prognostic factors that predicted distant metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent carboplatin chemotherapy did not significantly improve the long-term survival after inductive carboplatin and floxuridine chemotherapy in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In addition to patient and tumour characteristics, LDH, BMI and smoking status were important baseline prognostic factors for tumour recurrence or distant metastasis; these are worthy of further prognostic investigation in future studies.