Jensen Ramon Gordon, Friborg Jeppe, Rosborg Jørn, Specht Lena, Brofeldt Susanne, Hamilton Therkildsen Marianne, Homøe Preben
Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery F2071, Rigshospitalet,2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Int J Circumpolar Health. 2010 Sep;69(4):373-82. doi: 10.3402/ijch.v69i4.17673. Epub 2010 Aug 17.
Head and neck cancer is frequent in the Inuit population of Greenland and is characterized by a very high incidence of Epstein-Barr virus associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, information on the treatment and survival of Inuit head and neck cancer patients is practically non-existent. The aim of this study, therefore, was to analyse the epidemiological pattern, time course and survival of head and neck cancer patients in Greenland.
Retrospective register-based study.
The Danish Civil Registration System, the Danish Cancer Registry and hospital-based registries were used to identify all patients resident in Greenland diagnosed with head and neck cancer during the period 1994-2003. Data were analysed with regard to clinical characteristics, treatment delay and survival.
A total of 125 patients were identified. The age-standardized incidence rate for all head and neck cancer cases was 28/100,000 for males and 19/100,000 for females. High incidence rates were found for NPC and oral cancers. Of all cancers, 47% were stage IV at the time of diagnosis, while 61% of all NPC's were stage IV. The median delay from date of first symptom to treatment was 248 days for all cancers. The overall crude 5-year survival rate for all sites together was 35% and for NPC 20%.
Survival of head and neck cancer in Greenland is very low. Delays in treatment and inadequate follow-up on treatment complications are probable causes. The improvements in treatment for NPC and other head and neck cancer cases over the last decades are yet to be seen in this Inuit population.
头颈部癌在格陵兰因纽特人群中很常见，其特征是与爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒相关的鼻咽癌（NPC）发病率非常高。然而，关于因纽特人头颈部癌患者的治疗和生存信息实际上并不存在。因此，本研究的目的是分析格陵兰头颈部癌患者的流行病学模式、病程和生存情况。
基于登记的回顾性研究。
使用丹麦民事登记系统、丹麦癌症登记处和医院登记处来识别1994年至2003年期间在格陵兰被诊断为头颈部癌的所有患者。分析了有关临床特征、治疗延迟和生存的数据。
共识别出125例患者。所有头颈部癌病例的年龄标准化发病率男性为28/10万，女性为19/10万。鼻咽癌和口腔癌的发病率较高。在所有癌症中，47%在诊断时为IV期，而所有鼻咽癌中有61%为IV期。从首次出现症状到治疗的中位延迟时间，所有癌症为248天。所有部位的总体粗5年生存率为35%，鼻咽癌为20%。
格陵兰头颈部癌的生存率非常低。治疗延迟和对治疗并发症的随访不足可能是原因。过去几十年中鼻咽癌和其他头颈部癌病例治疗方面的改善在这一因纽特人群中尚未体现。
