Related Experiment Video For nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Updated: Aug 28, 2026
Therapy Testing in a Spheroid-based 3D Cell Culture Model for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 20, 2018
Symptom-to-Diagnosis Interval, Treating-Center Context, and Survival in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Nonendemic
Qi An1, Qingxin Wang1, Yubing Qian1
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Laboratory of Basic and Translational Medicine on Head & Neck Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China.
Background:
In nonendemic northern China, symptom recognition prompts diagnostic evaluation for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Methods:
We analyzed 1022 patients with nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with definitive-intent intensity-modulated radiotherapy. The symptom-to-diagnosis interval extended from first symptom onset to pathological diagnosis. Logistic and Cox models assessed stage and survival; treating-center analyses used a 2016-2022 common-window cohort.
Results:
Stages III-IVA disease occurred in 807 patients (79.0%), and 576 (56.4%) had intervals > 3 months. Intervals > 3 months were associated with Stages III-IVA disease (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.85-3.45) and mortality (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.28-2.06); after AJCC-stage adjustment, HR 1.29 (95% CI 1.00-1.67). Treatment at participating tertiary general hospitals was associated with higher mortality (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.07-1.98). Exploratory model-standardized analyses yielded predicted 5-year death differences of 25.99 (4.22-47.68) and 51.47 (26.27-75.50) for treating-center and interval scenarios.
Conclusions:
Longer intervals were associated with advanced stage and poorer survival; survival differed by treating-center context.
