Cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy improved the survival of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma after induction chemotherapy by reducing early treatment failure

Abstract

Purpose

The aims of this study focusing on Locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC) were mainly two-fold: on the one hand, to establish a cut-off value to differentiate early and late failure based on prognosis after recurrence or metastasis; and on the other hand, to investigate the duration of concurrent cisplatin benefit over follow-up time. The results of our study have the potential to guide clinical practice and follow-up.

Methods

In total, 3123 patients with stage III-IVa NPC receiving Induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent cisplatin or not were analysed. The cut-off value of treatment failure was calculated using the minimum P-value approach. Random survival forest (RSF) model was to simulate the cumulative probabilities of treatment failure (locoregional recurrence and /or distant metastasis) over-time, as well as the monthly time-specific, event-occurring probabilities, for patients at different treatment groups.

Results

Based on subsequent prognosis, early locoregional failure (ELRF) should be defined as recurrence within 14 months ( P = 1.47 × 10 − 3), and early distant failure (EDF) should be defined as recurrence within 20 months ( P = 1.95 × 10 − 4). A cumulative cisplatin dose (CCD) > 200 mg/m ² independently reduced the risk of EDF (hazard ratio, 0.351; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.169–0.732; P = 0.005). Better failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS) were observed in concurrent chemotherapy settings ([0 mg/m ² vs. 1-200 mg/m ² vs. >200 mg/m ²]: FFS: 70.4% vs. 74.4% vs. 82.6%, all P < 0.03; OS: 79.5% vs. 83.8% vs. 90.8%, all P < 0.01). In the monthly analysis, treatment failure mainly occurred during the first 4 years, and the risk of distant failure in patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy never exceeded that of patients without concurrent chemotherapy.

Conclusion

Locoregional failure that developed within 14 months and/or distant failure within 20 months had poorer subsequent survival. Concurrent chemotherapy provides a significant FFS benefit, primarily by reducing EDF, translating into a long-term OS benefit.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-10237-8.