Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients with T3N0, T3N1, and T4N0 NPC.
| Characteristics | No. (%) | Univariate analysis of OS | Multivariate analysis of OS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HR (95% CI) | P | aHR (95% CI) | P | ||
| Age at diagnosis, years | |||||
| 18–37 | 528 (19.6) | Reference | Reference | ||
| 38–44 | 769 (28.6) | 1.48 (0.92–2.38) | 0.108 | 1.42 (0.88–2.29) | 0.148 |
| 45–52 | 655 (24.3) | 1.10 (0.66–1.85) | 0.715 | 1.12 (0.66–1.88) | 0.678 |
| ≥53 | 740 (27.5) | 2.38 (1.52–3.74) | <0.001 | 2.10 (1.32–3.31) | 0.001 |
| Gender | |||||
| Male | 1,944 (72.2) | Reference | Reference | ||
| Female | 748 (27.8) | 0.58 (0.40–0.84) | 0.004 | 0.60 (0.41–0.87) | 0.007 |
| Histological type | |||||
| WHO type I–II | 65 (2.4) | Reference | Reference | ||
| WHO type III | 2,626 (97.5) | 0.34 (0.20–0.59) | <0.001 | 0.35 (0.20–0.60) | <0.001 |
| Family history of cancer | |||||
| No | 1,944 (72.2) | Reference | – | – | |
| Yes | 748 (27.8) | 0.83 (0.60–1.16) | 0.276 | – | – |
| Comorbidity | |||||
| No | 1,510 (56.1) | Reference | – | – | |
| Yes | 1,182 (43.9) | 1.33 (0.98–1.79) | 0.067 | – | – |
| Cigarette smoking | |||||
| No | 1,757 (65.3) | Reference | – | – | |
| Yes | 935 (34.7) | 1.22 (0.91–1.63) | 0.186 | – | – |
| Alcohol consumption | |||||
| No | 2,325 (86.4) | Reference | – | – | |
| Yes | 367 (13.6) | 1.28 (0.87–1.89) | 0.215 | – | – |
| EBV DNA titer, copy/mLa | |||||
| <2,000 | 1,547 (57.5) | Reference | Reference | ||
| ≥2,000 | 1,145 (42.5) | 2.09 (1.56–2.81) | <0.001 | 1.96 (1.45–2.64) | <0.001 |
| Hb, g/La,b | |||||
| <120.0 (110.0) | 75 (2.8) | Reference | – | – | |
| ≥120.0 (110.0) | 2,617 (97.2) | 1.75 (0.82–3.73) | 0.147 | – | – |
| Albumin, g/La | |||||
| <40.0 | 196 (7.3) | Reference | Reference | ||
| ≥40.0 | 2,496 (92.7) | 0.42 (0.28–0.64) | <0.001 | 0.54 (0.35–0.82) | 0.011 |
| LDH, U/La | |||||
| ≤250 | 2,507 (93.1) | Reference | Reference | ||
| >250 | 185 (6.9) | 2.25 (1.51–3.37) | <0.001 | 2.00 (1.33–3.01) | 0.001 |
| CRP, mg/La | |||||
| ≤3.00 | 1,835 (68.2) | Reference | Reference | ||
| >3.00 | 857 (31.8) | 1.55 (1.16–2.06) | 0.003 | 1.19 (0.88–1.60) | 0.260 |
| UICC/AJCC clinical stage | |||||
| T3N0 | 401 (14.9) | – | – | – | – |
| T3N1 | 2,098 (77.9) | – | – | – | – |
| T4N0 | 193 (7.2) | – | – | – | – |
| T category | |||||
| T3 | 2,499 (92.8) | Reference | Reference | ||
| T4 | 193 (7.2) | 2.30 (1.53–3.46) | <0.001 | 2.22 (1.47–3.34) | <0.001 |
| N category | |||||
| N0 | 594 (22.1) | Reference | – | – | |
| N1 | 2.098 (77.9) | 0.84 (0.60–1.18) | 0.313 | – | – |
| Treatment | |||||
| CCRT | 1,418 (52.7) | – | – | – | – |
| IC+CCRT | 1,274 (47.3) | – | – | – | – |
NPC, nasopharyngeal carcinoma; OS, overall survival; no., number; HR, hazard ratio; aHR, adjusted hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval; WHO, World Health Organization; EBV, Epstein-Barr virus; Hb, hemoglobin; LDH, serum lactate dehydrogenase; CRP, C-reactive protein; UICC, Union for International Cancer Control; AJCC, American joint Committee on Cancer; CCRT, concurrent chemoradiotherapy; IC, induction chemotherapy.
a
All of these variables were measured before treatment.
b
Cut-off values of hemoglobin are 120 and 110 g/L for male and female, respectively.