Treatment response-adapted risk index model for survival prediction and adjuvant chemotherapy selection in nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Liu, Yang; Yan, Wenbin; Chen, Yupei; Miao, Jingjing; Zhang, Hua; Wang, Jingbo; Zhang, Ye; Huang, Xiaodong et al. · NPJ Digit Med · 2025

prospective_cohort · Level II

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Abstract

Dynamic response to therapy is strongly associated with cancer outcomes. We aim to develop the response-adapted individualized risk index (RAIRI) as an individual prognostic approach and predictive biomarker for adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) benefit in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) based on pretreatment clinical characteristics, longitudinal cell-free Epstein-Barr virus DNA, and MRI-based tumor regression measurements collected during treatment. Using Bayesian joint model, we developed and validated RAIRI, a dynamic and multidimensional model, with 2148 patients in training, internal validation, external validation, and RCT cohorts (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02958111 2016-11-04 and NCT02143388 2014-05-18). RAIRI predictions were refined over time using serially collected longitudinal data. RAIRI demonstrated accurate calibration and high prognostic accuracy, superior to conventional models. In RCT cohort, RAIRI identified approximately 70% of low-risk patients who did not benefit from AC, whereas the high-risks experienced substantial benefits from AC. Therefore, RAIRI could provide real-time updated quantitative survival estimates for individuals and facilitate personalized AC selection.