Timing matters: Early vs late recurrence in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and its impact on survival

Table 2 Comparison of general characteristics between early vs late recurrence in terms of the entire, local, regional and locoregional recurrence group, n (%)

Variables	Total (n = 330)			Local (n = 167)			Regional (n = 86)			Locoregional (n = 77)
	Early (n = 156)	Late (n = 174)	P value	ETR (n = 74)	LTR (n = 93)	P value	ENR (n = 49)	LNR (n = 37)	P value	ETNR (n = 33)	LTNR (n = 44)	P value
Gender			0.689			0.718			0.708			0.822
Male	123 (78.85)	134 (77.01)		59 (79.73)	72 (77.42)		40 (81.63)	29 (78.38)		24 (72.73)	33 (75.00)
Female	33 (21.15)	40 (22.99)		15 (20.27)	21 (22.58)		9 (18.37)	8 (21.62)		9 (27.27)	11 (25.00)
Age			0.975			0.424			0.754			0.129
< 60	128 (82.05)	143 (82.18)		61 (82.43)	72 (77.42)		41 (83.67)	30 (81.08)		26 (78.79)	41 (93.18)
≥ 60	28 (17.95)	31 (17.82)		13 (17.57)	21 (22.58)		8 (16.33)	7 (18.92)		7 (21.21)	3 (6.82)
Smoking status			0.090			0.144			0.729			0.281
No	88 (56.41)	114 (65.52)		37 (50.00)	57 (61.29)		30 (61.22)	24 (64.86)		21 (63.64)	33 (75.00)
Yes	68 (43.59)	60 (34.48)		37 (50.00)	36 (38.71)		19 (38.78)	13 (35.14)		12 (36.36)	11 (25.00)
Drinking status			0.922			0.922			0.300			0.350
No	105 (67.31)	118 (67.82)		48 (64.86)	61 (65.59)		32 (65.31)	28 (75.68)		25 (75.76)	29 (65.91)
Yes	51 (32.69)	56 (32.18)		26 (35.14)	32 (34.41)		17 (34.69)	9 (24.32)		8 (24.24)	15 (34.09)
KPS status			0.177			0.213			0.504			0.504
60-70	3 (1.92)	8 (4.60)		1 (1.35)	6 (6.45)		2 (4.08)	0 (0.00)		0 (0.00)	2 (4.55)
80-90	153 (98.08)	166 (95.40)		73 (98.65)	87 (93.55)		47 (95.92)	37 (100.00)		33 (100.00)	42 (95.45)
Weight loss status			0.250			0.471			1.000			0.419
< 10%	143 (91.67)	165 (94.83)		67 (90.54)	87 (93.55)		48 (97.96)	37 (100.00)		28 (84.85)	41 (93.18)
≥ 10%	13 (8.33)	9 (5.17)		7 (9.46)	6 (6.45)		1 (2.04)	0 (0.00)		5 (15.15)	3 (6.82)
T			0.008			0.002			0.627			0.064
1 or 2	59 (37.82)	91 (52.30)		16 (21.62)	41 (44.09)		32 (65.31)	26 (70.27)		11 (33.33)	24 (54.55)
3 or 4	97 (62.18)	83 (47.70)		58 (78.38)	52 (55.91)		17 (34.69)	11 (29.73)		22 (66.67)	20 (45.45)
N			0.028			0.162			0.416			0.338
0 or 1	61 (39.10)	89 (51.15)		39 (52.70)	59 (63.44)		12 (24.49)	12 (32.43)		10 (30.30)	18 (40.91)
2 or 3	95 (60.90)	85 (48.85)		35 (47.30)	34 (36.56)		37 (75.51)	25 (67.57)		23 (69.70)	26 (59.09)
TNM			0.002			0.003			0.708			0.114
I-II	19 (12.18)	44 (25.29)		7 (9.46)	26 (27.96)		9 (18.37)	8 (21.62)		3 (9.09)	10 (22.73)
III-IV	137 (87.82)	130 (74.71)		67 (90.54)	67 (72.04)		40 (81.63)	29 (78.38)		30 (90.91)	34 (77.27)
Radiotherapy technique			0.351			0.473			1.000			0.569
Non-IMRT	88 (56.41)	108 (62.07)		42 (56.76)	59 (63.44)		28 (57.14)	21 (56.76)		18 (54.55)	28 (63.64)
IMRT	68 (43.59)	66 (37.93)		32 (43.24)	34 (36.56)		21 (42.86)	16 (43.24)		15 (45.45)	16 (36.36)
Time of treatment			0.008			0.205			0.032			0.531
1990-1999	41 (26.28)	72 (41.38)		20 (27.03)	37 (39.78)		9 (18.37)	16 (43.24)		12 (36.36)	19 (43.18)
2000-2009	71 (45.51)	55 (31.61)		33 (44.59)	32 (34.41)		25 (51.02)	11 (29.73)		13 (39.39)	12 (27.27)
2010-2020	44 (28.21)	47 (27.01)		21 (28.38)	24 (25.81)		15 (30.61)	10 (27.03)		8 (24.24)	13 (29.55)
Chemotherapy			0.753			0.902			0.733			0.946
No	96 (61.54)	110 (63.22)		50 (67.57)	62 (66.67)		26 (53.06)	21 (56.76)		20 (60.61)	27 (61.36)
Yes	60 (38.46)	64 (36.78)		24 (32.43)	31 (33.33)		23 (46.94)	16 (43.24)		13 (39.39)	17 (38.64)
rT			0.069			0.488			-			0.423
0	49 (31.41)	37 (21.26)		0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)		49 (100.00)	37 (100.00)		0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)
1 or 2	56 (35.90)	63 (36.21)		35 (47.30)	39 (41.94)		0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)		21 (63.64)	24 (54.55)
3 or 4	51 (32.69)	74 (42.53)		39 (52.70)	54 (58.06)		0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)		12 (36.36)	20 (45.45)
rN			0.532			-			0.791			0.824
0	74 (47.44)	93 (53.45)		74 (100.00)	93 (100.00)		0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)		0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)
1 or 2	75 (48.08)	75 (43.10)		0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)		43 (87.76)	34 (91.89)		32 (96.97)	41 (93.18)
3	7 (4.49)	6 (3.45)		0 (0.00)	0 (0.00)		6 (12.24)	3 (8.11)		1 (3.03)	3 (6.82)
rTNM			0.342			0.488			0.826			0.836
I-II	79 (50.64)	79 (45.40)		35 (47.30)	39 (41.94)		32 (65.31)	25 (67.57)		12 (36.36)	15 (34.09)
III-IV	77 (49.36)	95 (54.60)		39 (52.70)	54 (58.06)		17 (34.69)	12 (32.43)		21 (63.64)	29 (65.91)
Post recurrence treatment			0.054			0.283			0.516			0.573
Chemotherapy	18 (11.54)	18 (10.34)		11 (14.86)	8 (8.60)		3 (6.12)	4 (10.81)		4 (12.12)	6 (13.64)
RT	64 (41.03)	86 (49.43)		38 (51.35)	52 (55.91)		11 (22.45)	8 (21.62)		15 (45.45)	26 (59.09)
Surgery	61 (39.10)	46 (26.44)		17 (22.97)	16 (17.20)		34 (69.39)	22 (59.46)		10 (30.30)	8 (18.18)
BST	13 (8.33)	24 (13.79)		8 (10.81)	17 (18.28)		1 (2.04)	3 (8.11)		4 (12.12)	4 (9.09)

BST: Best supportive treatment; ENR: Early regional recurrence; ETNR: Early locoregional recurrence; ETR: Early local recurrence; KPS: Karnofsky Performance Status; LNR: Late regional recurrence; LTNR: Late locoregional recurrence; LTR: Late local recurrence; rN: Recurrent N stage; rT: Recurrent T stage; rTNM: Recurrent TNM stage; RT: Radiotherapy.