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© 2014 Adham et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is endemic in Indonesia and 20% of the patients are diagnosed before the age of 31. This study evaluates presentation and treatment outcome of young patients in Jakarta, in a tertiary referral centre.

Methods

Forty-nine patients under the age of 31, diagnosed with NPC between July 2004 and January 2007, were evaluated. Baseline data included histological type, stage of disease and presenting symptoms. We intended to follow all patients after diagnosis to reveal treatment outcome and overall survival (OS).

Results

All but two patients had advanced stage disease (94%), 7 (14%) had distant metastasis. The median interval between start of complaints and diagnosis was 9 months. Forty-two patients were planned for curative intent treatment. Eleven patients (26%) never started treatment, 2 patients did not complete treatment and 3 patients did not return after finishing treatment. Four patients died before radiation could start. Three patients died within 4 months after treatment. Nine patients (21%) had a complete response. Due to the high number of patients who were lost to follow-up (LFU), OS was analyzed as follows: a best-case (patients censored at last contact) and a worst-case scenario (assuming that patients who did not finish treatment or had disease at last contact would have died). The 2-year OS for patients without distant metastases was 39–71%.

Conclusion

Treatment outcome for young patients with NPC in this institute was poor. Improvement can be achieved when NPC is diagnosed at an earlier stage and when there is better treatment compliance.

Details

Title
Current Status of Cancer Care for Young Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Jakarta, Indonesia
Author
Adham, Marlinda; Stoker, Sharon D; Wildeman, Maarten A; Rachmadi, Lisnawati; Gondhowiardjo, Soehartati; Djumhana Atmakusumah; Gatot, Djayadiman; Fles, Renske; Greijer, Astrid E; Hermani, Bambang; Middeldorp, Jaap M; Tan, I Bing
First page
e102353
Section
Research Article
Publication year
2014
Publication date
Jul 2014
Publisher
Public Library of Science
e-ISSN
19326203
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1545002674
Copyright
© 2014 Adham et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.