Development and validation of a prognostic nomogram incorporating neutrophil-to-albumin ratio for predicting overall survival in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy

Background: Recent research suggests that the emerging neutrophil-albumin ratio (NAR) has a significant correlation with the survival outcomes across a range of tumors, yet its predictive significance for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains insufficiently investigated. This study aimed to evaluat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Heliyon 2025-01, Vol.11 (1), p.e40881
Main Authors: Xin Hua, Meng-Di Wang, Wei-Qiong Ni, Zhi-Qing Long, Si-Fen Wang, Fang-Fang Duan, Chao Zhang, Xin Huang, Fei Xu, Wen Xia, Jia-Yi Chen, Yun-Sheng Gao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Concurrent chemoradiotherapy
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Neutrophil-albumin ratio
Nomogram
Prognosis
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Summary:Background: Recent research suggests that the emerging neutrophil-albumin ratio (NAR) has a significant correlation with the survival outcomes across a range of tumors, yet its predictive significance for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains insufficiently investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the neutrophil-to-albumin ratio (NAR) and overall survival (OS) in patients with NPC, as well as to develop a corresponding prognostic model. Methods: This retrospective analysis included 861 NPC patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), who were randomly divided into a training group (n = 605) and a validation group (n = 256). To identify factors associated with OS and construct a prognostic nomogram, both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed. The nomogram's prognostic accuracy was evaluated and independently validated. Results: The NAR score successfully segregated NPC patients into two categories with significantly different OS (HR = 0.536; 95 % CI: 0.296–0.972, P = 0.040). Through multivariate analysis, factors such as age, T stage, N stage, and NAR score were identified as independent predictors of OS, leading to the creation of a prognostic nomogram. This nomogram demonstrated superior predictive capability for OS [C-index = 0.702 (95 % CI: 0.636–0.768)], surpassing that of the conventional staging system [C-index = 0.651 (95 % CI: 0.549–0.752)]. The findings underwent internal validation within an independent cohort. Conclusions: The NAR, an emergent biomarker combining nutritional and inflammatory status, offers a practical, low-cost, and non-invasive prognostic measure for NPC patients treated with CCRT. Additionally, the prognostic nomogram derived from NAR surpasses traditional staging systems in predictive accuracy.
ISSN:2405-8440