Risk of ocular complications following radiation therapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Objective To examine the risk of ocular complications following radiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods We adopted 1:1 propensity score matching and identified an NPC cohort (n = 736) and a comparison cohort (n = 736) that comprised non-NPC head and neck cancer patients who received radiotherapy in the National Health Insurance Research Database from 1997 to 2010. The follow-up period was terminated upon developing ocular complications (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM]360-379) or on December 31, 2010. Results After adjusting for the confounding factors of the study, the NPC cohort had a higher adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for developing ocular complications than the comparison cohort (adjusted HR = 2.786, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.805-4.112, P < 0.001). The NPC cohort was associated with a significantly higher risk of developing ocular complications compared with the comparison cohort within 12 and after 24 months of follow-up (P < 0.05). The most common associated ocular complications were optic nerve disorder and retinopathy. Conclusions Patients with NPC might be at higher risk of developing ocular complications after radiotherapy than non-NPC head and neck cancer patients in Taiwan. Either further investigation or routine assessments by ophthalmological physician is recommended. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope, 2019