Matsumoto Kohei, Honda Yukiko, Maeda Takahiro, Kumai Yoshihiko
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, JPN.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Nagasaki Goto Chuoh Hospital, Nagasaki, JPN.
Cureus. 2024 Nov 7;16(11):e73253. doi: 10.7759/cureus.73253. eCollection 2024 Nov.
In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treatment, extended waiting times for chemoradiotherapy negatively impact survival outcomes. Identifying contributing factors to these delays and strategies to minimize them could improve the prognosis for HNSCC patients. However, the factors affecting treatment delays remain incompletely understood, warranting further investigation. This retrospective study examined the association between patient residence and treatment delay. Medical records of 125 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx, treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy at the Department of Otolaryngology, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, were analyzed. Treatment delay was defined as the period from the patient's initial medical visit to the start of treatment at our hospital. The relationship between factors, such as patient location and waiting period, was assessed. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that residing in a remote area was significantly associated with longer treatment delays (OR: 4.41, 95% CI: 1.40-13.91, p = 0.01; adjusted OR: 7.60, 95% CI: 1.93-29.98, p < 0.01). These findings underscore the need for interventions to reduce treatment delays in HNSCC patients from remote areas.
在头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）治疗中，放化疗等待时间延长会对生存结果产生负面影响。确定导致这些延误的因素以及将其降至最低的策略，可能会改善HNSCC患者的预后。然而，影响治疗延误的因素仍未完全明确，需要进一步研究。这项回顾性研究调查了患者居住地与治疗延误之间的关联。分析了长崎大学医学院耳鼻喉科接受放疗或放化疗的125例口咽、下咽或喉鳞状细胞癌患者的病历。治疗延误定义为从患者首次就诊到我院开始治疗的时间段。评估了患者所在地等因素与等待期之间的关系。单因素和多因素逻辑回归分析显示，居住在偏远地区与更长的治疗延误显著相关（比值比：4.41，95%置信区间：1.40 - 13.91，p = 0.01；调整后比值比：7.60，95%置信区间：1.93 - 29.98，p < 0.01）。这些发现强调了采取干预措施以减少偏远地区HNSCC患者治疗延误的必要性。
