title: [Analysis on clinical data of 677 death cases with nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the death causes in 677 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical data of 677 death cases with NPC hospitalized in our department from 1974 to 1990 were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our data, the ratio of male to female was 4.3:1. The main age stage was from forty to sixty. The pathological type was mostly poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The cases with stage III-IV disease were account for 81.3%. The patients treated by radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy survived longer than those treated by radiotherapy alone (P < 0.05). The majority of the patients died of distal metastasis (372, 54.9%) and local-regional lymph node uncontrolled (142, 20.9%) after treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The main death causes of the patients with NPC in our investigation were distal metastasis and local-regional recurrence. The treatment of radiotherapy plus chemotherapy probably increases survival time and reduces the death rate in patients with NPC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.forename: Lijin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yuqiong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zhiping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yuankang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Dezhi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality; D011859:Radiography