title: Prognostic factors on overall survival of newly diagnosed metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate factors associated with overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and two consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed nasopharyngeal carcinoma with distant metastasis at diagnosis seen between December 2007 and May 2011 were reviewed. Patient, tumor and treatment factors were analyzed for their significance regarding overall survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median follow-up time was 22 months. At the time of this report, 116 patients had died. For 112 patients, cause of death was nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The 1, 2, 3, and 4-year overall survival rates were 75.6%, 50.2%, 39.2%, and 28.2%, respectively. Cox regression multivariate analysis showed that T-stage (p=0.045), N-stage (p=0.014), metastasis number (p<0.001) and radiotherapy for nasopharynx and neck (p<0.001) were significant factors for overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early T-stage and N-stage, solitary metastasis in a single organ were good prognostic factors for patients with newly diagnosed metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Radiotherapy should be strongly recommended in systemic treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, and State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, China E-mail : taixianglu@126.com.
authors.forename: Jia-Xin
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shao-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Bi-Xiu
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Tai-Xiang
authors.initials: TX
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D000077143:Docetaxel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D009333:Neck / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal; D015996:Survival Rate; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D002945:Cisplatin