A scoring system based on inflammatory and nutritional indicators to predict the long-term survival of patients with non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

To develop a simple scoring system based on baseline inflammatory and nutritional markers to predict the long-term prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical data from 1024 newly diagnosed non-metastatic NPC patients. A total of 15 pre-treatment inflammatory and nutritional markers were collected as candidate variables. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal cutoff points for each parameter. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Besides, the Inflammation Nutrition Risk Score (INRS) was calculated for each patient by assigning each independent prognostic factor a score of 1. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that serum albumin (ALB), systemic immune-inflammation index, and monocyte count (M) were independent prognostic factors for OS (P < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that higher INRS was associated with a worsened prognosis. Patients in the high-risk group had shorter OS than in the low-risk group. In the training group, the 3-, 5-, and 8-years OS rates for the low-risk group versus high-risk group were 92.5% versus 87.8%, 87.4% versus 75.1%, and 84.6% versus 62.2%, respectively (P < 0.05). In the validation group, the 3-, 5-, and 8-years OS rates for the low-risk group vs. high-risk group were 95.0% versus 86.4%, 92.1% versus 82.2%, and 89.5% versus 74.3%, respectively (P < 0.05). Further subgroup analysis showed a significant difference in the OS between the high-risk group and low-risk group in patients with locally advanced disease (P < 0.05). The ROC curve demonstrated that INRS had a similar predictive value for long-term survival in NPC patients compared to TNM staging and serum EBV-DNA levels. Pretreatment ALB, M, and SIRI are independent prognostic factors for long-term survival in patients with NPC. INRS constructed based on these three factors can serve as a long-term prognostic indicator for NPC.

Which evaluation criteria of the short-term efficacy can better reflect the long-term outcomes for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma?

PURPOSE: To compare the consistency of one-dimensional Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (1D-RECIST), two-dimensional WHO criteria (2D-WHO), and three-dimensional (3D) measurement for therapeutic response assessment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective data of 288 newly diagnosed NPC patients were reviewed. Tumor size was assessed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) according to the 1D-RECIST, 2D-WHO, and 3D measurement criteria. Agreement between tumor responses was assessed using unweighted k statistics. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off point of the PTV. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression were used for the survival analysis. RESULTS: The optimal cut-off point of the PTV for progression-free survival (PFS) was 29.6%. Agreement with PTV measurement was better for 1D measurement than for 2D and 3D measurements (kappa values of 0.646, 0.537, and 0.577 for 1D, 2D, and 3D measurements, respectively; P < 0.05). The area under the curve of the 1D measurement (AUC=0.596) was similar to that of the PTV measurement (AUC=0.621). Compared with 2D and 3D measurements, 1D measurement is superior for predicting prognosis in NPC (C-index of 0.672, 0.663, and 0.646 were for 1D, 2D, and 3D measurements, respectively; P < 0.005). Survival analysis showed that patients with non-responders had worse prognosis (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The 1D measurement more closely agreed with the PTV measurement than the 2D and 3D measurements for predicting therapeutic responses in NPC. Therefore, we recommend using the less time-consuming 1D-RECIST criteria in routine clinical practice.

PYHIN1 correlates with CD8+ T cells infiltration and confers good patient survival in oral cancer.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Immunotherapy has become a research hotspot and is used for head and neck cancer treatment. This research aims to explore the prognostic value of PYHIN1 in oral cancer and the relationship between PYHIN1 and cancer immunity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of PYHIN1 in clinical specimens was evaluated by bioinformatics analyses and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Gene ontology term enrichment analyses and gene set enrichment analyses showed the involvement of PYHIN1 in the modulation of adaptive immunity-associated signaling according to The Cancer Genome Atlas database and Gene Expression Omnibus dataset. Interestingly, the correlation analyses in The Cancer Genome Atlas database revealed a positive correlation between PYHIN1 expression and activated CD8+ T cells infiltration and a negative correlation between PYHIN1 expression and tumor purity. Moreover, activated CD8+ T cells infiltration predicted good patient survival and was negatively correlated with tumor purity. Importantly, PYHIN1 expression was negatively correlated with the pathological stage and was positively associated with a good prognosis in patients with oral cancer. The data obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus dataset and immunohistochemistry confirmed the positive association between PYHIN1 and CD8+ T cells infiltration in oral cancer tissues. CONCLUSION: We conclude that PYHIN1 is an indicator of cancer immunity, and is an independent prognostic factor that may be an alternative target for oral cancer treatment.