Nomograms containing body dose parameters for predicting survival in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Purpose To assess the impact of body dose on survival outcomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients and to create novel nomograms incorporating body dose parameters for predicting survival. Methods 594 of non-metastasis NPC patients (training group, 396; validation group, 198) received intensity-modulated radiation therapy at our institution from January 2012 to December 2016. Patient characteristics, body dose parameters in dose–volume histogram (DVH) and hematology profiles were collected for predicting overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Nomograms for OS and PFS were developed using the selected predictors. Each nomogram was evaluated based on its C-index and calibration curve. Results Body dose-based risk score for OS (RS OS ), N stage, age, and induction chemotherapy were independent predictors for OS, with a C-index of 0.784 (95% CI 0.749–0.819) in the training group and 0.763 (95% CI 0.715–0.810) in the validation group for the nomogram. As for PFS, the most important predictors were the body dose-based risk score for PFS (RS PFS ) , N stage, and induction chemotherapy. C-index of PFS nomogram was 0.706 (95% CI 0.681–0.720) in the training group and 0.691 (95% CI 0.662–0.711) in the validation group. The two models outperformed the TNM staging system in predicting outcomes. Conclusions Body dose coverage is a useful predictor of prognosis in clinical routine patients. The novel nomograms integrating body dose parameters can precisely predict OS and PFS in NPC patients.