Table 3.
Results of multivariate analysis for the selected 945 pairs with pre-treatment Epstein-Barr virus DNA > 4650 copies/ml
| Endpoints | Variable | HR (95% CI) | P value a |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFS | Gender, female vs. male | 0.694 (0.559–0.862) | 0.001 |
| Family history of cancer, yes vs. no | 1.273 (1.042–1.555) | 0.018 | |
| LDH; > 245 vs. ≤ 245 U/L | 1.345 (1.050–1.723) | 0.019 | |
| N category, N2–3 vs. N0–1 | 1.693 (1.405–2.039) | < 0.001 | |
| Overall stage, IVA vs. III | 1.349 (1.125–1.617) | 0.001 | |
| Treatment, IC + CCRT vs. CCRT | 0.817 (0.683–0.977) | 0.027 | |
| OS | Gender, female vs. male | 0.630 (0.472–0.841) | 0.002 |
| Age, > 44 vs. ≤ 44y | 1.499 (1.188–1.892) | 0.001 | |
| LDH; > 245 vs. ≤ 245 U/L | 1.510 (1.118–2.039) | 0.007 | |
| N category, N2–3 vs. N0–1 | 1.820 (1.437–2.305) | < 0.001 | |
| Overall stage, IVA vs. III | 1.396 (1.110–1.757) | 0.004 | |
| Treatment, IC + CCRT vs. CCRT | 0.675 (0.537–0.848) | 0.001 | |
| DMFS | Gender, female vs. male | 0.674 (0.513–0.886) | 0.005 |
| LDH; > 245 vs. ≤ 245 U/L | 1.658 (1.245–2.209) | 0.001 | |
| N category, N2–3 vs. N0–1 | 1.874 (1.481–2.372) | < 0.001 | |
| Overall stage, IVA vs. III | 1.377 (1.100–1.725) | 0.005 | |
| Treatment, IC + CCRT vs. CCRT | 0.782 (0.626–0.976) | 0.03 | |
| LRRFS | Gender, female vs. male | 0.598 (0.416–0.859) | 0.005 |
| Family history of cancer, yes vs. no | 1.533 (1.128–2.083) | 0.006 | |
| N category; N3 vs. N2 | 1.712 (1.274–2.301) | < 0.001 | |
| Treatment, IC + CCRT vs. CCRT | 1.063 (0.798–1.415) | 0.677 |
Abbreviations: DFS disease-free survival, OS overall survival, DMFS distant metastasis-free survival, LRRFS locoregional relapse-free survival, HR hazard ratio, CI confidence interval, IC induction chemotherapy, CCRT concurrent chemoradiotherapy, LDH lactate dehydrogenase
aP-values were calculated using an adjusted Cox proportional hazards model with backward elimination and the following variables were included: gender (female vs. male), age (> 44y vs. ≤ 44y), smoking (yes vs. no), drinking (yes vs. no), family history of cancer (yes vs. no), LDH (> 245 vs. ≤ 245 U/L), T category (T3–4 vs. T1–2), N category (N2–3 vs. N0–1), overall stage (IVA vs. III) and treatment (IC + CCRT vs. CCRT)