Quality-of-life-adjusted survival analysis of concurrent chemo radiotherapy for locally advanced (nonmetastatic) nasopharyngeal cancer

Abstract

Purpose: To assess whether the benefits of adding cisplatin (CDDP) concurrent with radiotherapy, followed by adjuvant CDDP and fluorouracil, justifies the toxicity cost for nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) using the quality-adjusted time without symptoms or toxicity (Q-TWiST) approach. Methods and Materials: One hundred seven patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) and 111 with concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CRT) were analyzed. The overall survival was divided into three health states: time on active treatment only, during which any subjective nonhematologic toxic event of grade > = 3 was reported; time without symptoms of disease relapse; or treatment and time following first disease RELapse. The relative advantage of CRT and RT was examined by conducting the analysis cumulatively at restriction times 3, 6, 24, 36, 48 months. Results: At 48 months, the improvement in disease-free survival was 14.4% for CRT, whereas that for overall survival was 18.9%. The differences in Q-TWiST were -0.4, -0.7, 0.1, 1.6, and 3.6 months at 3, 6, 24, 36, and 48 months, respectively, with positive differences favoring CRT. At 24 months, the difference in Q-TWiST began to favor CRT. At 36 months, CRT may be the preferred option from the patient's viewpoint if the time spent in the REL state is valued to be