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Pre-treatment peripheral absolute monocyte count predicts metastatic progression and survival outcomes in treatment-naive non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: The tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging system does not fully capture tumor heterogeneity, underscoring the needs for reliable biomarkers for prognostication in non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). While inflammatory markers have shown potential, the prognostic value of pre-treatment peripheral absolute monocyte count (AMC) in treatment-naive, non-metastatic NPC remains underexplored. Methods: /L, n=676) groups. The primary endpoints were DMFS, bone metastasis-free survival (BMFS), and overall survival (OS). Associations were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis, log-rank tests, Cox proportional hazards models, restricted cubic splines (RCS), subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses. Diagnostic performance was evaluated using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (tROC) analysis at 1, 3, and 5 years. Results: /L, eventually reaching a plateau. Subgroup analyses confirmed the feasibility of AMC's prognostic value across all patient strata (P for interaction>0.05). Time-dependent ROC analysis demonstrated the highest discriminatory accuracy for predicting 1-year bone metastasis (AUC = 0.720), while maintaining moderate prognostic utility for distant metastasis and overall survival across 1 to 5 years. Conclusion: /L could serve as an independent predictor of metastatic progression, particularly bone metastasis, and reduced survival in treatment-naive, non-metastatic NPC. Being easily obtainable via routine complete blood count, AMC provides significant prognostic value to enhance clinical risk stratification and guide individualized treatment planning.

Source: Frontiers in Oncology

DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2026.1696050

Authors: Fen Cai, Shuopo Fang, Jianfeng Cai, Guodong Qiu, Xiaorui Cai

Institution: Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College

Language: English

Topic: Inflammatory Biomarkers in Disease Prognosis

Subfield: Oncology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801