Incidence and survival rates for young blacks with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the incidence rates of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) among US black, white, and Asian/Pacific Islander (Asian) populations, with a focus on those diagnosed before age 20 years and between ages 20 and 29 years. Our secondary objective was to determine differences in survival rates between US blacks, whites, and Asians with NPC who were younger than 30 years.


METHODS
Data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) tumor registry system were used to determine incidence and survival rates for cases of NPC diagnosed in the specified age groups between 1973 and 2002.


METHODS
Blacks, whites, and Asians younger than 30 years with NPC.


METHODS
Incidence rates and 2- and 5-year survival rates.


RESULTS
From 1973 to 2002, incidence rates per 1 million persons, adjusted to the 2000 standard population, for blacks, whites, and Asians younger than 20 years with NPC were 1.61 (n=43), 0.61 (n=99), and 0.95 (n=18), respectively. The incidence rate ratio of blacks to Asians younger than 20 years was 1.69 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96-3.12) (P=.07), while the rate ratio for blacks to whites was 2.66 (95% CI, 1.82-3.85) (P<.001). From ages 20 to 29 years, rates increased slightly in blacks (1.87) and whites (0.96), while increasing dramatically in Asians (7.18). Two- and 5-year relative survival rates in blacks younger than 30 years were 84% and 64%, respectively, with little variation between races in this age group.


CONCLUSIONS
Blacks younger than 20 years have increased incidence rates of NPC relative to whites and may be the only group having a higher NPC incidence rate than Asians. Two- and 5-year survival rates of blacks, whites, and Asians younger than 30 years with NPC are similar.
Richey
Luke M
LM
General Clinical Research Center and Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill School of Medicine 27599-7600, USA. richeyl@med.unc.edu
Olshan
Andrew F
AF
George
Jonathan
J
Shores
Carol G
CG
Zanation
Adam M
AM
Cannon
Trinitia
T
Weissler
Mark C
MC
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data