The prognostic value of pretreatment 18F-FDG PET-CT parameters with peripheral blood markers in patients with de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To develop and validate a prognostic nomogram based on pretreatment 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT)radiomics parameters and peripheral blood markers for risk stratification in patients with de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (dmNPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 558 patients with dmNPC were retrospectively enrolled between 2011 and 2019. Eligible patients were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts (7:3 ratio). A Cox regression model was used to identify prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the prognostic nomogram were determined using the concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve. RESULTS: Independent factors derived from multivariable analysis of the training cohort to predict death were lactate dehydrogenase levels, pretreatment Epstein-Barr virus DNA, total lesion glycolysis of locoregional lesions, number of metastatic lesions, and age, all of which were assembled into a nomogram with (nomogram B) or without PET-CT parameters (nomogram A). The C-index of nomogram B for predicting death was 0.70, which was significantly higher than the C-index values for nomogram A. Patients were then stratified into low- and high-risk groups based on the scores calculated using nomogram B for OS. The median OS was significantly higher in the low-risk group than in the high-risk group (69.60 months [95 % CI: 58.50-108.66] vs. 21.40 months [95 % CI: 19.20-23.90]; p＜0.01). All the results were confirmed in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: The proposed nomogram including PET-CT parameters yielded accurate prognostic predictions for patients with dmNPC, enabling effective risk stratification for these patients.

Integrating Baseline Nutritional and Inflammatory Parameters with Post-Treatment EBV DNA Level to Predict Outcomes of Patients with De Novo Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Receiving Chemotherapy Combination PD-1 Inhibitor.

OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a prognostic nomogram based on baseline nutritional and inflammatory parameters for risk stratification in patients with de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (dmNPC) receiving chemotherapy combination programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 131 patients with dmNPC (88 and 43 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively) between March 2017 and November 2020. All these patients received chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitor treatment. We identified independent risk factors using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses and established a nomogram to predict the progression-free survival (PFS). The predictive accuracy of the nomogram was evaluated and independently validated. RESULTS: Baseline nutritional risk index (NRI), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), uric acid (UA), and post-treatment Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA were used to develop a nomogram that could divide patients into favorable- and unfavorable-prognosis groups. The median PFS (mPFS) was significantly longer in the favorable-prognosis group compared to the unfavorable-prognosis group (35.10 months [95% CI: 27.36-42.84] vs. 7.23 months [95% CI: 6.50-7.97]; p = 0.001). All results were confirmed in the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed model improved the prognostic risk stratification for patients with dmNPC undergoing chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitor treatment.

Clinical treatment considerations in the intensity-modulated radiotherapy era for parotid lymph node metastasis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: No specific irradiation guidelines have been proposed for parotid lymph node (PLN) metastasis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study aimed to explore the dose prescription and target delineation for PLN metastasis in patients with NPC. METHODS: With the NPC database from a big-data platform, 10,685 patients with primarily diagnosed, non-distant metastatic, histologically proven NPC and treated with intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) at our center from 2008 to 2019 were reviewed and those with PLN metastasis were enrolled in this study. Dosimetry parameters were collected from the dose-volume histograms (DVH). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (LASSO) was operated for variable selection. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was applied to identify the independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: PLN metastases were identified in 275/10685 (2.5%) patients. Of 367 positive PLN, 199 were in superficial intra-parotid, followed by 70 in deep intra-parotid, 54 in subparotid and 44 in subcutaneous pre-auricular. Better survival outcome was observed in PLN-radical IMRT group, compared with PLN-sparing group. In 190 patients received PLN-radical IMRT, multivariate analysis revealed that D95% of level VIII > 55 Gy was an independent beneficial prognostic factor for overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and parotid relapse-free survival (PRFS). CONCLUSION: Based on the distribution pattern of PLN metastasis in NPC and the result of dose-finding study, involving the ipsilateral level VIII into low-risk clinical target volume (CTV2) is recommended for NPC with PLN metastasis.

Scale development of apparel customization brand value: From the perspectives of practitioners and consumers.

China apparel customization brands (CACBs) have been recently growing in massive quantities despite being in their infancy stages of brand value building. Although scholars have proven brand value's importance in sustainable brand growth, studies on the specific context of CACBs are still limited. This research proposes a conceptual framework of CACBs' brand value measured dimension based on previous studies and divides brand value into both general and specific dimensions. Accordingly, qualitative (semi-structured interviews) and quantitative (online survey) studies were conducted from the perspectives of practitioners and consumers. Ultimately, a scale of 30 items with nine dimensions was generated. Results reveal that brand association in the general dimensions and brand service in the special dimensions were the largest promoters of CACB brand value. Hence, practitioners should pay more attention to dimensions of cognitive conflicts. Practical suggestions for apparel customization marketers are proposed to build and enhance brand value.