Propensity-matched analysis of three different chemotherapy sequences in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated using intensity-modulated radiotherapy

Table 1 Characteristics of the 147 propensity-matched patients

Characteristic	CCRT group (n = 49)	IC plus RT group (n = 49)	IC plus CCRT group (n = 49)	P value ^*
Sex				0.672
Male	32 (65.3 %)	31 (63.3 %)	35 (71.4 %)
Female	17 (34.7 %)	18 (36.7 %)	14 (28.6 %)
Age (years)				0.696
≤45	19 (38.8 %)	20 (40.8 %)	23 (46.9 %)
>45	30 (61.2 %)	29 (59.2 %)	26 (53.1 %)
Histological type			-
WHO type I	0 (0 %)	0 (0 %)	0 (0 %)
WHO type II/III	49 (100 %)	49 (100 %)	49 (100 %)
T-category				1.000
T1	1 (2 %)	0 (0 %)	0 (0 %)
T2	1 (2 %)	2 (4.1 %)	2 (4.1 %)
T3	32 (65.3 %)	33 (67.3 %)	32 (65.3 %)
T4	15 (30.6 %)	14 (28.6 %)	15 (30.6 %)
N-category				0.956
N0	4 (8.2 %)	4 (8.2 %)	4 (8.2 %)
N1	29 (59.2 %)	27 (55.1 %)	28 (57.1 %)
N2	10 (20.4 %)	13 (26.5 %)	9 (18.4 %)
N3	6 (12.2 %)	5 (10.2 %)	8 (16.3 %)
Stage-group				0.891
III	31 (63.3 %)	31 (63.3 %)	29 (59.2 %)
IVA-B	18 (36.7 %)	18 (36.7 %)	20 (40.8 %)

Abbreviations: IC induction chemotherapy, RT radiotherapy, CCRT concurrent chemoradiotherapy
^*P-values were calculated using the Chi-square test (or Fisher’s exact test, if the expected number was less than five in at least 25 % of the cells)

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