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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · South Asian J Cancer 2019; 08(03): 173-177
DOI: 10.4103/sajc.sajc_230_18
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Head and Neck Cancers

Palliative chemotherapy in carcinoma nasopharynx

Vijay M. Patil
Department of Medical Oncology, HBNI, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Amit Joshi
Department of Medical Oncology, HBNI, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Vanita Noronha
Department of Medical Oncology, HBNI, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Vikas Talreja
Department of Medical Oncology, HBNI, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Vijai Simha
Department of Medical Oncology, HBNI, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Sachin Dhumal
Department of Medical Oncology, HBNI, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Bhavesh Bandekar
Department of Medical Oncology, HBNI, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Arun Chandrasekharan
Department of Medical Oncology, HBNI, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Kumar Prabhash
Department of Medical Oncology, HBNI, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
› Author Affiliations Financial support and sponsorship Nil.
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Abstract

Introduction: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rare malignancy. We conducted an audit of systemic therapies received in palliative setting in carcinoma nasopharynx and studied their outcomes. Methods: Patients who underwent first-line palliative systemic chemotherapy between January 2014 and April 2017 for carcinoma nasopharynx at the department of medical oncology at authors' institute were selected for this analysis. Toxicities, responses, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. In addition, a Quality-Adjusted Time without Symptoms or Toxicity analysis with threshold utility analysis was performed. Results: Fifty-one patients were included in this analysis. The indication of palliative chemotherapy was locoregionally recurrent disease in 25 (49.0%) patients and metastatic disease in 26 (51.0%) patients. The overall response rate was 62.0% (n = 33). The median PFS was 225 days (95% confidence interval [CI]: 164–274 days) and median OS was 513 days (95% CI: 286–931 days). The restricted mean TOX state duration was 2.6 days (95% CI: 0.3–4.9), restricted mean TWiST duration was 219.2 days (95% CI: 184.0–254.4), and restricted mean REL duration was 74.3 days (95% CI: 38.1–110.4). Conclusion: Systemic cytotoxic therapy in nasopharyngeal cancers is associated with high response rates and clinically meaningful PFS; with low duration of time spent in adverse events.

Key words

Chemotherapy - nasopharynx - palliative - Quality-adjusted Time without Symptoms or Toxicity - systemic


Publication History

Article published online:
21 December 2020

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