A novel clinical signature predicts the survival of elderly patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The risk factors for the survival of elderly patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are multifarious. Here, we developed a novel clinical signature to serve as an indicator of prognosis in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinicopathological data were collected for 554 patients aged ≥ 60 years who were treated for primary OSCC. Overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival, and disease-free survival were the primary outcomes. RESULTS: Multivariate cox regression analysis showed that high N stage, low hemoglobin level, low body mass index (BMI), and high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) showed a poor survival (P < 0.05). A nomogram was constructed with a c-index of 0.702. CONCLUSION: A novel clinical signature including hemoglobin level, BMI, and NLR, which are obtained through noninvasive examinations can be used as prognostic indicators in clinical practice for elderly patients with OSCC.