Identifying optimal candidates for postoperative adjuvant therapy among regional persistent/recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after neck dissection
Sai-Lan Liu,
Xiao-Yun Li,
Xue-Song Sun,
Jing-Yun Peng,
Chao Lin,
Jin-Jie Yan,
Qiu-Yan Chen,
Lin-Quan Tang,
Shan-Shan Guo,
Ling Guo,
Li-Ting Liu,
Hai-Qiang Mai
Affiliations
Sai-Lan Liu
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
Xiao-Yun Li
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
Xue-Song Sun
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
Jing-Yun Peng
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
Chao Lin
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
Jin-Jie Yan
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
Qiu-Yan Chen
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
Lin-Quan Tang
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
Shan-Shan Guo
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
Ling Guo
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
Li-Ting Liu
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
Hai-Qiang Mai
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
Abstract Purpose To analyze the clinical outcomes of patients with regional persistent/recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who received neck dissection, and to evaluate the clinical benefit of postoperative adjuvant therapy (PAT) based on patients’ positive lymph node counts (PLNs), extracapsular spread (ECS) and preoperative plasma EBV DNA levels. Methods From 2003 to 2017, 342 patients with regional persistent/recurrent NPC were included in this study. All patients were treated with neck dissection and 76 patients received PAT. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS) were compared between groups using propensity score matching (PSM). Results 152 patients without PAT treatment and 76 patients with PAT treatment were selected by the PSM. There was no significant difference in 2-year PFS (52.4% vs. 61.3%, P = 0.371), 2-year OS (91.9% vs. 90.5%, P = 0.097) or 2-year LRFS (66.3% vs. 67.9%, P = 0.872) between the two groups. However, the application of PAT brought survival benefits to patients in terms of 2-year DMFS (76.5% vs. 84.7%, P = 0.020). PLN, ECS and preoperative EBV DNA level remained independent risk factors for poorer PFS. Accordingly, patients were divided into low-risk and high-risk groups using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve; the 2-year PFS rates for two risk groups were 73.4% and 59.1% (P < 0.0001) respectively. The results showed that low-risk patients didn’t benefit from the addition of PAT. However, the 2-year DMFS rate was significantly improved in high-risk PAT-treated patients than those treated by neck dissection alone (83.7% vs. 71.7%, P = 0.023). Conclusions PLNs, ECS and preoperative EBV DNA level are associated with the prognosis of patients with regional persistent/recurrent NPC. High-risk patients identified by PLNs, ECS and preoperative EBV DNA level may benefit from the addition of PAT after neck dissection.
