The prognostic value of adding systemic inflammation response index to <scp>Epstein–Barr</scp> virus <scp>DNA</scp> in childhood nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A real‐world study
Ya‐Nan Jin, Bao‐Qiu Liu, Kunwei Peng, Xue‐Qing Ou, Wu‐Shuang Zeng, Wang‐Jian Zhang, Tia Marks, Ji‐Jin Yao, Liangping Xia
Abstract
BACKGROUND: To assess the prognostic value of the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) combined with plasma load of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in children and adolescents with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (CALANPC). METHODS: A total of 205 consecutive patients with CALANPC were enrolled. We used recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) to classify patients into various risk groups, with a primary endpoint of overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Elevated SIRI (≥1.53) and EBV DNA (≥4000 copy/ml) were significantly associated with inferior OS in CALANPC. RPA categorized patients into low- and high-risk groups based on prognostic factors. Survival curves showed excellent discrimination in OS (95.3% vs 77.6%; p < 0.001) between the low- and high-risk groups. A significant improvement was confirmed using the prognostic methods for conventional TNM staging systems (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of SIRI with EBV DNA provided a more detailed understanding of patient risks, and enhanced risk discrimination in CALANPC.