Research Article

OUTCOME OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER PATIENTS MANAGED WITH CHEMORADIATION AT THE RADIOTHERAPY DEPARTMENT NATIONAL HOSPITAL, ABUJA (A FIVE-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY)

Fatima Inno Uba1*, Simeon C. Aruah2, Festus Igbinoba2, Rasaaq A. Oyesegun2
1 Department of Radiotherapy, National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria
2 Radiotherapy and Oncology Department, National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria.
* Corresponding author: agbamufatima@yahoo.com
Published: Feb, 2026
DOI: 10.67579/njo.2026.qa90k046
Pages: 29-38
Views: 308
Downloads: 227

Abstract

Background: The term ‘Head and Neck Cancer’ usually refers to squamous cell carcinomas that affect the head and neck regions of the body. However, other histologies are also found in these regions.

Objective: This study assessed the outcome of head and neck cancer patients managed with chemoradiation.

Methods: A data extraction form was used to obtain sociodemographic and clinical variables from treatment records and case notes of patients with head and neck cancer treated from January 2017 to December 2022 at the radiotherapy department, National Hospital, Abuja. The outcome of chemo-radiation was analysed.

Results: A total of 384 cases with a mean age of 43.5 years, with 248 males (64.6%) and 136 females (35.4%). Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) was the commonest with 102 (26.6%) cases. At five years of follow-up, 109 (28.4%) patients died of the disease, 152 (39.6%) patients were alive with the disease, 54 (14.1%) were disease-free, 69 (17.9%) were lost to follow-up, probably on account of either complication/side effects of treatment, financial constraint, disease progression, or unreported deaths.

Conclusion: Despite the late presentation, this study showed that there was improved survival in patients with head and neck cancer who had chemoradiation.

Keywords

head and neck cancers outcome chemoradiation Nigeria

References

  1. Elicin O. The prognostic impact of daytime and seasonality of radiotherapy on head and neck cancer. Radiother Oncol. 2021.
  2. Halperin EC, Perez CA, Brady LW. Principles and Practice of Radiation Oncology. 5th ed. Philadelphia (PA): Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008. p. 1682–1691.
  3. Joseph M, Liza ML, Lauren NM. The economics of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007;15:68–73.
  4. Schutte HW, Heutink F, Wellenstein DJ, van den Broek GB, van den Hoogen FJA, Marres HAM. Impact of time to diagnosis and treatment in head and neck cancer: a systematic review. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;162:446–457. doi:10.1177/0194599820906387.
  5. Aliyu UM, Folasire AM, Ntekim AI. Treatment outcome of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Nigeria: an institutional experience. Precis Radiat Oncol. 2018;2:68–75. doi:10.1002/pro6.44.
  6. Crowder SL, Douglas KG, Pepino MY, Sarma KP, Arthur AE. Nutrition impact symptoms and associated outcomes in post-chemoradiotherapy head and neck cancer survivors: a systematic review. J Cancer Surviv. 2018;12:479–494. doi:10.1007/s11764-018-0687-7.
  7. Munro AJ. Chemotherapy for head and neck cancer. In: Souhami RL, Tannock I, Hohenberger P, editors. Oxford Textbook of Oncology. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2002. p. 1345.
  8. Salako O, Okediji PT, Habeebu MY, Fatiregun OA, Awofeso OM, Okunade KS, et al. The pattern of comorbidities in cancer patients in Lagos, South-Western Nigeria. ecancer. 2018;12:843.
  9. Kreimer AR, Clifford GM, Boyle P, Franceschi S. Human papillomavirus types in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas worldwide: a systematic review. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14:467–475.
  10. Astradsson T, Laurell G, Ahlberg A, Nikolaidis P, Johansson H, Ehrsson YT. Trismus in patients with head and neck cancer and 5-year overall survival. Acta Otolaryngol. 2017;138:1123–1127. doi:10.1080/00016489.2018.1511059.
  11. Chi AC, Day TA, Neville BW. Oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma—an update. CA Cancer J Clin. 2015;65:401–421.
  12. Duprez F, Madani I, Bonte K, Boterberg T, Vakaet L, Derie C, et al. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy for recurrent and second primary head and neck cancer in previously irradiated territory. Radiother Oncol. 2009;93:563–569.
  13. Kam MK, Leung SF, Zee B, Chau RM, Suen JJ, Mo F, et al. Prospective randomized study of intensity-modulated radiotherapy on salivary gland function in early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. J Clin Oncol. 2007;25:4873–4879.
  14. Morita Y, Hata K, Nakanishi M, Nishisho T, Yura Y. Cyclooxygenase-2 promotes tumor lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Int J Oncol. 2012;41(3):885–892.
  15. Machtay M, et al. Factors associated with severe late toxicity after concurrent chemoradiation for locally advanced head and neck cancer: an RTOG analysis. J Clin Oncol. 2016 Jul 20;26(21):3582-9. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2007.14.8841. Epub 2016 Jun 16. PMID: 18559875; PMCID: PMC4911467
  16. Schwam ZG, Husain Z, Judson BL. Refusal of postoperative radiotherapy and its association with survival in head and neck cancer. Radiother Oncol. 2015;117:343–350. doi:10.1016/j.radonc.2015.10.013.
  17. Ang KK, Berkey BA, Tu X, et al. Impact of epidermal growth factor receptor expression on survival and pattern of relapse in patients with advanced head and neck carcinoma. Cancer Res. 2006;62:7350–7356.
  18. Bonner JA, Harari PM, Giralt J, et al. Radiotherapy plus cetuximab for squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:567–578.
  19. Sindhu SK, Bauman JE. Current concepts in chemotherapy for head and neck cancer. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2019;31(1):145–154. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2018.09.003.
  20. Ologe FE, Adeniji KA, Segun-Busari S. Clinicopathological study of head and neck cancers in Ilorin, Nigeria. Trop Doct. 2005;35:2–4.
  21. Rathod S, et al. Quality-of-life outcomes in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy compared with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy: evidence from a prospective randomized study. Oral Oncol. 2013.
  22. Adenipekun AA, Elumelu TN, Ogunnorin BO. Outcome of chemoradiation in the management of a Nigerian child with maxillary neuroblastoma at University College Hospital, Ibadan. 2021.
  23. Beltran M, Ramos M, Rovira JJ, et al. Dose variations in tumor volumes and organs at risk during IMRT for head-and-neck cancer. J Appl Clin Med Phys. 2012;13:3723–3727.
  24. Stapleford LJ, Lawson JD, Perkins C, et al. Evaluation of automatic atlas-based lymph node segmentation for head-and-neck cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2010;77:959–966.
How to Cite

Uba, F. I., Aruah, S. C., Igbinoba, F., & Oyesegun, R. A. (2026). OUTCOME OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER PATIENTS MANAGED WITH CHEMORADIATION AT THE RADIOTHERAPY DEPARTMENT NATIONAL HOSPITAL, ABUJA (A FIVE-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY). Nigerian Journal of Oncology, 2(1), 29-38. https://doi.org/10.67579/njo.2026.qa90k046

F. I. Uba, S. C. Aruah, F. Igbinoba, and R. A. Oyesegun, "OUTCOME OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER PATIENTS MANAGED WITH CHEMORADIATION AT THE RADIOTHERAPY DEPARTMENT NATIONAL HOSPITAL, ABUJA (A FIVE-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY)," Nigerian Journal of Oncology, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 29-38, February 2026. doi: 10.67579/njo.2026.qa90k046

Share this article:
Facebook X / Twitter LinkedIn
Download PDF View Full Text (PDF) Back to Articles