Effect of Nurse-Led Individualized Follow-Up Intervention on Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

It is planned to recruit 250 primary NPC patients from Fujian Cancer Hospital's Oncology Departments during an 18-month period, after completing the chemoradiotherapy for NPC. You will participate in a five-year study in which you are randomly assigned to either the nurse-led intervention or the physician-led intervention. Regardless of group assignment, you will follow the national nasopharyngeal carcinoma screening program.

Both the control and intervention arms will use questionnaires, clinical databases, and national registers to collect data for 5 years after inclusion both in the control and intervention groups. The primary and secondary outcomes are measured using questionnaires in both groups, whereas Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) are collected only in the intervention group. Relapsed patients will not be asked to complete the remaining outcome questionnaires or PROs since they quit the follow-up program to pursue recurrent treatment. If PROs reveal a need, or if the patient requires consultation, the nurse or project physician will be consulted.

Inclusion criteria

• Able to provide informed consent;
• Have completed radiotherapy treatment for loco-regional nasopharyngeal carcinoma without clinical sign of distance metastatis;
• Aged 18 years and above;
• Expected survival ≥6 months;
• Read, understand Chinese characters and speak Mandarin.

Exclusion criteria

• Previous history of other malignancies, mental illness or cognitive impairment (MMSE score < 27 points);
• Unstable medical or psychiatric conditions
• Inability to communicate effectively in mandarin
• Pregnant women or lactating women.