Combined prognostic value of pretreatment anemia and cervical node necrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving intensity‐modulated radiotherapy: A large‐scale retrospective study

This study investigated the combined prognostic value of pretreatment anemia and cervical node necrosis (CNN) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Retrospective review of 1302 patients with newly diagnosed nonmetastatic NPC treated with intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) ± chemotherapy. Patients were classified into four groups according to anemia and CNN status. Survival was compared using the log‐rank test. Independent prognostic factors were identified using the Cox proportional hazards model. The primary end‐point was overall survival (OS); secondary end‐points were disease‐free survival (DFS), locoregional relapse‐free survival (LRRFS), and distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS). Pretreatment anemia was an independent, adverse prognostic factor for DMFS; pretreatment CNN was an independent adverse prognostic factor for all end‐points. Five‐year survival for non‐anemia and non‐CNN, anemia, CNN, and anemia and CNN groups were: OS (93.1%, 87.2%, 82.9%, 76.3%, P