Li-Ting Liu1,2, Yu-Jing Liang1,2, Shan-Shan Guo1,2, Yao Xie1,2, Guo-Dong Jia1,2, Dong-Xiang Wen1,2, Lin-Quan Tang1,2, Qiu-Yan Chen1,2, Hai-Qiang Mai1,2. 1. Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangzhou, China. 2. Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: To evaluate the prognostic value of the dynamic change in absolute lymphocyte counts (ALCs) and absolute monocyte counts (AMCs) and identify patients with N stage and plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA levels in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who are at risk of treatment failure. METHODS: A total of 1124 eligible patients with Stage II-IVb NPC treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) were enrolled. Percentage changes in the ALC (ΔALC%) and AMC (ΔAMC%) were calculated. RESULTS: Patients with high ΔALC% were correlated with poorer 5-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates than those with low ΔALC%. Likewise, high ΔAMC% was significantly associated with worse outcome than low ΔAMC% (OS, p = 0.001; PFS, p = 0.001; DMFS, p = 0.034). Multivariate analyses revealed that ΔALC% (p = 0.046), ΔAMC% (p = 0.019), and EBV DNA level (p < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors for OS. With respect to PFS, ΔALC% (p = 0.036), ΔAMC% (p = 0.011), N classification (p = 0.016), and EBV DNA level (p < 0.001) were also independent prognosticators. Based on the aforementioned independent risk factors (ΔALC% ≥ 83.33%, ΔAMC% ≥ 40.00%, Stage N2-3, EBV DNA ≥ 4000 copies/ml), patients were divided into three different risk groups (low-risk group [with <1 risk factor], intermediate risk group [with 1-3 risk factors], and high-risk group [with 4 risk factors]) that correlated with disparate risks of death (p < 0.001), disease progression (p < 0.001), and distant metastasis (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High ΔALC% and ΔAMC% were correlated with poor prognosis in patients with NPC. Risk stratification based on ΔALC%, ΔAMC%, N classification, and plasma EBV DNA levels could provide potential utility for risk-adapted therapeutic strategies for NPC.
BACKGROUND: To evaluate the prognostic value of the dynamic change in absolute lymphocyte counts (ALCs) and absolute monocyte counts (AMCs) and identify patients with N stage and plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA levels in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who are at risk of treatment failure. METHODS: A total of 1124 eligible patients with Stage II-IVb NPC treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) were enrolled. Percentage changes in the ALC (ΔALC%) and AMC (ΔAMC%) were calculated. RESULTS: Patients with high ΔALC% were correlated with poorer 5-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates than those with low ΔALC%. Likewise, high ΔAMC% was significantly associated with worse outcome than low ΔAMC% (OS, p = 0.001; PFS, p = 0.001; DMFS, p = 0.034). Multivariate analyses revealed that ΔALC% (p = 0.046), ΔAMC% (p = 0.019), and EBV DNA level (p < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors for OS. With respect to PFS, ΔALC% (p = 0.036), ΔAMC% (p = 0.011), N classification (p = 0.016), and EBV DNA level (p < 0.001) were also independent prognosticators. Based on the aforementioned independent risk factors (ΔALC% ≥ 83.33%, ΔAMC% ≥ 40.00%, Stage N2-3, EBV DNA ≥ 4000 copies/ml), patients were divided into three different risk groups (low-risk group [with <1 risk factor], intermediate risk group [with 1-3 risk factors], and high-risk group [with 4 risk factors]) that correlated with disparate risks of death (p < 0.001), disease progression (p < 0.001), and distant metastasis (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High ΔALC% and ΔAMC% were correlated with poor prognosis in patients with NPC. Risk stratification based on ΔALC%, ΔAMC%, N classification, and plasma EBV DNA levels could provide potential utility for risk-adapted therapeutic strategies for NPC.
Authors: Sukhkaran S Aulakh; Dustin A Silverman; Kurtis Young; Steven K Dennis; Andrew C Birkeland Journal: Cancers (Basel) Date: 2022-06-16 Impact factor: 6.575