Epidemiological Profile and Clinicopathological, Therapeutic, and Prognostic Characteristics of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Northern Morocco

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a multifactorial disease mainly affecting the Asian and North African populations including Morocco. This study aimed to determine the epidemiological profile of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Northern Morocco as well as its clinicopathological, therapeutic, and prognostic characteristics. METHODS: 129 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma followed at the regional center of oncology of Tangier in the period between April 2017 and July 2019, and diagnosed elsewhere from March 2000 to February 2019, were included in this study. Statistical analysis of the data was realized using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. RESULTS: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) represented 5% of all cases with a median age of 50. The most affected age group was 40–54 years (41.1%). Of all patients, 65.9% were men and 34.1% were women with a sex ratio of 1.93 (Male/Female). Undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinomas were the most common histological type affecting 96.12% of patients. At diagnosis, the majority of patients (82.2%) had an advanced stage of NPC (III, VIa, b, c) including 5.4% of metastatic cases (IVc). Most cases (86%) had lymph node involvement with cervical mass being the most common clinical presentation. 81.4% of patients received radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy. Among these patients, 54.3% had concurrent radiochemotherapy preceded by induction chemotherapy. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 86.8% for all patients. It represented 91.3% for early stages, 87.9% for locally advanced stages, and 57.1% for the metastatic stage significantly. The disease-free survival (DFS) at 5 years was 87.6% knowing that relapse occurred in 16 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a particular disease with a late declaration. It is common in Morocco as is the case in other endemic areas with a high prevalence. Patients’ survival is significantly influenced by disease staging.