Survival determinants and treatment patterns in a European multi-center cohort of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

@article{pușcaș2026survival,
  title = {{Survival determinants and treatment patterns in a European multi-center cohort of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.}},
  author = {Irina Maria Pușcaș and Anda Gâta and Radu Alexandru Ilieș and Paolo Boscolo Rizzo and Marco Stellin and Vittorio Rampinelli and Davide Tomasini and Cesare Piazza and Daniele Borsetto and Will Ince and Carlos M Chiesa-Estomba and Maria Landa-Garmendia and Pavol Surda and Eleanor Crossley and Alexandra Roman and Andrei Constantin Ioanovici and Vlad Alexandru Gâta and Alexandru Irimie and Silviu Albu},
  journal = {Medicine and pharmacy reports},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.15386/mpr-2999},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997855},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Survival determinants and treatment patterns in a European multi-center cohort of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
AU  - Irina Maria Pușcaș
AU  - Anda Gâta
AU  - Radu Alexandru Ilieș
AU  - Paolo Boscolo Rizzo
AU  - Marco Stellin
AU  - Vittorio Rampinelli
AU  - Davide Tomasini
AU  - Cesare Piazza
AU  - Daniele Borsetto
AU  - Will Ince
AU  - Carlos M Chiesa-Estomba
AU  - Maria Landa-Garmendia
AU  - Pavol Surda
AU  - Eleanor Crossley
AU  - Alexandra Roman
AU  - Andrei Constantin Ioanovici
AU  - Vlad Alexandru Gâta
AU  - Alexandru Irimie
AU  - Silviu Albu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/31
JO  - Medicine and pharmacy reports
DO  - 10.15386/mpr-2999
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997855
AB  - Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a distinct head and neck malignancy characterized by marked geographic and ethnic variability, with most studies originating from endemic Asian regions. However, the disease also occurs in non-endemic populations, where prognostic factors and treatment outcomes may differ. This study aimed to evaluate overall survival (OS) in a European multi-institutional cohort of patients with NPC and to assess the impact of disease stage and chemotherapy exposure on survival outcomes. A retrospective multicenter study was conducted including patients diagnosed with NPC in six oncology centers across Romania, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Eligible patients had histologically confirmed NPC and a minimum follow-up of five years. Clinical, demographic, staging, and treatment data were collected from medical records. OS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors. A total of 416 patients were included, with a mean age of 48.2 years and a predominance of males (68%). Most patients presented with advanced-stage disease (83.7%). Concurrent chemotherapy was administered in 73.3% of cases. Median survival was 204 months in patients receiving chemotherapy and 187 months in those without chemotherapy, with no significant difference between groups (p = 0.85). Chemotherapy exposure was not independently associated with OS in multivariable analysis. Increasing age was identified as an independent prognostic factor associated with higher mortality risk (HR 1.03 per year, p < 0.001). In this European multicenter cohort, OS in NPC patients was primarily influenced by age, as demonstrated by independent multivariable Cox regression (HR 1.03 per year, p < 0.001), while concurrent chemotherapy was not independently associated with improved survival. Disease stage was used as a stratification variable in the multivariable model to account for non-proportional hazards; accordingly, no hazard ratio for stage is estimated. Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested higher survival probabilities in early-stage disease, though this difference did not reach statistical significance (log-rank p = 0.099). Further prospective studies are needed to clarify the role of systemic therapy in non-endemic populations.
SN  - 2602-0807
SN  - 2668-0572
ER  -