Association of Socioeconomic Disparities With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Survival in an Endemic Area, China

Abstract

Objectives This retrospective cohort study investigated the association of socioeconomic status with survival outcomes among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in an endemic area of China. Methods The primary endpoint was overall survival. Survival outcomes were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test, and the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios, 95% CIs, and independent prognostic factors. Results A total of 11 069 adult patients with NPC were enrolled and included in the analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that overall survival was significantly different among socioeconomic status. Compared with high socioeconomic status patients, low socioeconomic status patients (HR, 1.190; 95% CI, 1.063-1.333) and medium socioeconomic status patients (HR, 1.111; 95% CI, 1.006-1.226) were associated with increased hazard ratio (HR) of overall survival. Conclusion This analysis highlights patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who had high socioeconomic status had better overall survival compared with those who had low and medium socioeconomic status.