title: Racial differences in nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the United States.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant neoplasm arising from the mucosal epithelium of the nasopharynx. Different races can have different etiology, presentation, and progression patterns.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were analyzed on NPC patients in the United States reported to the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database between 1973 and 2009. Racial groups studied included non-Hispanic whites, Hispanic whites, blacks, Asians, and others. Patient characteristics, age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates, treatment, and five-year relative survival rates were compared across races. Stratification by stage at diagnosis and histologic type was considered. Multivariate regression was conducted to evaluate the significance of racial differences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patient characteristics that were significantly different across races included age at diagnosis, histologic type, in situ/malignant tumors in lifetime, stage, grade, and regional nodes positive. Incidence and mortality rates were significantly different across races, with Asians having the highest rates overall and stratified by age and/or histologic type. Asians also had the highest rate of receiving radiation only. The racial differences in treatment were significant in the multivariate stratified analysis. When stratified by stage and histologic type, Asians had the best five-year survival rates. The survival experience of other races depended on stage and type. In the multivariate analysis, the racial differences were significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Analysis of the SEER data shows that racial differences exist among NPC patients in the U.S. This result can be informative to cancer epidemiologists and clinicians.
authors.affiliation: School of Statistics, Renmin University of China, 59 Zhongguancun Avenue, Beijing 100872, China; School of Public Health, Yale University, 60 College ST, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. Electronic address: abyuer@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yawei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shuangge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018426:SEER Program; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Racial differences; SEER
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