scholarly journals Prognostic Value of Oral Epstein–Barr Virus DNA Load in Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Qiao He ◽  
Ting Zhou ◽  
Da-Wei Yang ◽  
Yi-Jing Jia ◽  
Lei-Lei Yuan ◽  
...  

Background: Plasma Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA load has been widely used for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) prognostic risk stratification. However, oral EBV DNA load, a non-invasive biomarker that reflects the EBV lytic replication activity, has not been evaluated for its prognostic value in NPC yet.Methods: A total number of 1,194 locoregionally advanced NPC (LA-NPC) patients from south China were included from a prospective observational cohort (GARTC) with a median follow-up of 107.3 months. Pretreatment or mid-treatment mouthwashes were collected for EBV DNA detection by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The difference of pre- and mid-treatment oral EBV DNA load was tested by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The associations of oral EBV DNA load with overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis–free survival (DMFS), and locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS) were assessed using the log-rank test and multivariate Cox regression.Results: The high level of the oral EBV DNA load (>2,100 copies/mL) was independently associated with worse OS (HR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.20–1.74, p < 0.001), PFS (HR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16–1.65, p < 0.001), DMFS (HR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.25–2.21, p = 0.001), and LRFS (HR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.05–1.96, p = 0.023). Similar and robust associations between oral EBV DNA load and prognosis were observed for patients in both the pretreatment and mid-treatment stages. The detection rate (71.7 vs. 48.6%, p < 0.001) and the median load of oral EBV DNA (13,368 vs. 382 copies/mL, p < 0.001) for patients in the pretreatment stage were significantly higher than those in the mid-treatment stage. The combination of the oral EBV DNA load and TNM staging provided a more precise risk stratification for the LA-NPC patients.Conclusion: Oral EBV DNA load was an alternative non-invasive predictor of prognosis and may facilitate risk stratification for the LA-NPC patients.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 175883592093205
Author(s):  
Lu-Lu Zhang ◽  
Meng-Yao Huang ◽  
Fei-Xu ◽  
Ke-Xin Wang ◽  
Di Song ◽  
...  

Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the combined value of locoregional extension patterns (LEPs) and circulating cell-free Epstein–Barr virus (cf EBV) DNA for risk stratification of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC) to better guide therapeutic strategies. Methods: A total of 7227 cases of LA-NPC were reviewed retrospectively and classified into six groups according to their LEP (ascending, descending, or mixed type) and pre-treatment cf EBV-DNA load (⩾ versus <4000 copy/ml). Using a supervised statistical clustering approach, patients in the six groups were clustered into low, intermediate, and high-risk clusters. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS) were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and differences were compared using the log-rank test. Results: Survival curves for the low, intermediate, and high-risk clusters were significantly different for all endpoints. The 5-year survival rate for the low, intermediate, and high-risk clusters, respectively, were: PFS (83.5%, 73.2%, 62.6%, p < 0.001), OS (91.0%, 82.7%, 73.2%, p < 0.001), DMFS (92.3%, 83.0%, 73.4%, p < 0.001), and LRRFS (91.0%, 88.0%, 83.3%, p < 0.001). The risk clusters acted as independent prognostic factors for all endpoints. Among the patients in the high-risk cluster, neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) significantly improved the patients 5-year PFS (66.4% versus 57.9%, p = 0.014), OS (77.6% versus 68.6%; p < 0.002), and DMFS (76.6% versus 70.6%; p = 0.028) compared with those treated with CCRT. Conclusion: Our results could facilitate the development of risk-stratification and risk-adapted therapeutic strategies for patients with LA-NPC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisheng Zhu ◽  
Tao Ouyang ◽  
Ying Xiong ◽  
Li Ba ◽  
Qiuting Li ◽  
...  

BackgroundIn this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of the plasma levels of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) at different treatment stages.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the Data of 206 patients with NPC. Pre-neoadjuvant chemotherapy (pre-NACT), post-NACT, post-radiotherapy, and post-treatment plasma EBV DNA levels were used to establish prognostic nomograms. The concordance index (C-index) and calibration curves were used to compare the prognostic accuracy of the nomograms. The results were confirmed in a validation cohort consisting of patients who were tested for EBV DNA levels at all four stages of treatment. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Survival differences were calculated using the log-rank test.ResultsEBV DNA-positive patients had worse 3-year PFS and 5-year OS than EBV DNA-negative patients; this was true for pre-NACT (PFS: 82.7% vs. 57.3%, P &lt; 0.001; OS: 90.9% vs. 68.7%, P = 0.08) and post-NACT (PFS: 85.0% vs. 50.6%, P &lt; 0.001; OS: 91.7% vs. 65.7%; P = 0.001) EBV DNA levels but not for post-radiotherapy (PFS: 72.2% vs. 60.9%, P = 0.192; OS: 73.1% vs. 77.2%, P = 0.472) or post-treatment (PFS: 77.3% vs. 59.2%, P = 0.063; OS: 77.5% vs. 79.7%, P = 0.644) levels. Nomograms combining pre-NACT and post-NACT EBV DNA levels had a superior prognostic ability than those of post-radiotherapy and post-treatment EBV DNA levels.ConclusionPre-NACT EBV DNA levels combined with post-NACT EBV DNA levels can more reliably predict survival outcomes in patients with NPC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Gihbid ◽  
Raja Benzeid ◽  
Abdellah Faouzi ◽  
Jalal Nourlil ◽  
Nezha Tawfiq ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The identification of effective prognosis biomarkers for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is crucial to improve treatment and patient outcomes. In the present study, we have attempted to evaluate the correlation between pre-treatment plasmatic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA load and the conventional prognostic factors in Moroccan patients with NPC. Methods The present study was conducted on 121 histologically confirmed NPC patients, recruited from January 2017 to December 2018. Circulating levels of EBV DNA were measured before therapy initiation using real-time quantitative PCR. Results Overall, undifferentiated non-keratinizingcarcinoma type was the most common histological type (90.1 %), and 61.8 % of patients were diagnosed at an advanced disease stage (IV). Results of pre-treatment plasma EBV load showed that 90.9 % of patients had detectable EBV DNA, with a median plasmatic viral load of 7710 IU/ml. The correlation between pre-treatment EBV DNA load and the conventional prognostic factors showed a significant association with patients’ age (p = 0.01), tumor classification (p = 0.01), lymph node status (p = 0.003), metastasis status (p = 0.00) and overall cancer stage (p = 0.01). Unexpectedly, a significant higher level of pre-treatment EBV DNA was also found in plasma of NPC patients with a family history of cancer (p = 0.04). The risk of NPC mortality in patients with high pretreatment EBVDNA levels was significantly higher than that of those with low pre-treatment plasma EBV-DNA levels (p < 0.05). Furthermore, patients with high pre-treatment EBV-DNA levels (≥ 2000, ≥ 4000) had a significant low overall survival (OS) rates (p < 0.05). Interestingly, lymph node involvement, metastasis status and OS were found to be the most important factors influencing the EBV DNA load in NPC patients. Conclusions The results of the present study clearly showed a high association between pre-treatment EBV DNA load, the crucial classical prognostic factors (T, N, M and disease stage) of NPC and OS, suggesting that pre-treatment EBV DNA can be a useful prognostic biomarker in clinical decision-making and improving NPC treatment in Morocco.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Jie Chen ◽  
Wen-Na Xu ◽  
Hai-Yun Wang ◽  
Xiao-Xia Chen ◽  
Xue-Qi Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA is considered a biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, its long-term role in NPC development is unclear. Materials and methods A total of 1363 participants seropositive for EBV VCA-IgA and EBNA1-IgA in a community-based NPC screening program in southern China were tested for plasma EBV DNA levels by real-time qPCR between 2008 and 2015. New NPC cases were confirmed by active follow-up approach and linkage to local cancer registry through the end of 2016. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) for NPC risk with plasma EBV DNA. Results Thirty patients were newly diagnosed during a median 7.5 years follow-up. NPC incidence increased with the plasma EBV DNA load ranging from 281.46 to 10,074.47 per 100,000 person-years in participants with undetectable and ≥ 1000 copies/ml levels; the corresponding cumulative incidence rates were 1.73 and 50%. Furthermore, plasma EBV DNA loads conferred an independent risk for NPC development after adjustment for other risk factors, with HRs of 7.63 for > 3–999 copies/ml and 39.79 for ≥1000 copies/ml. However, the HRs decreased gradually after excluding NPC cases detected in the first 2 to 3 years and became statistically nonsignificant by excluding cases detected during the first 4 years. Conclusion Elevated plasma EBV DNA can predict NPC risk over 3 years. Monitoring plasma EBV DNA can be used as a complementary approach to EBV serological antibody-based screening for NPC.


2014 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 537-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Banko ◽  
Ivana Lazarevic ◽  
M. Folic ◽  
Maja Cupic ◽  
Tanja Jovanovic

The development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the result of interaction between Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and many non-viral factors. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of EBV in NPC biopsies from Serbian patients and to investigate the correlation between EBV presence and demographic, anamnestic and clinical data. Ninety-three tissue blocks were included. For detection of EBV DNA, the C terminus of the LMP1 gene was amplified by nested-PCR. Twenty-eight biopsies were EBV-DNA-positive (30.1%), with a statistically significant difference in EBV DNA presence between geographical regions (p=0.02) and between the stages of tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) (p=0.02). A correlation was also found with the presence of EBV DNA and smoking (p=0.02). The correlation of EBV DNA presence, with or without smoking and the promising outcome of the disease was statistically significant (p=0.02; p=0.01). The EBV DNA findings from this study confirm the role of EBV in NPC carcinogenesis, and show the different distribution among TNM stages and correlation between the virus and outcome of disease.


2017 ◽  
Vol 108 (8) ◽  
pp. 1640-1647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji‐Jin Yao ◽  
Li Lin ◽  
Ya‐Nan Jin ◽  
Si‐Yang Wang ◽  
Wang‐Jian Zhang ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianzhu Lu ◽  
Qiaojuan Guo ◽  
Keyu Lin ◽  
Honglin Chen ◽  
Yixin Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is closely associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. EBV BamHI A rightward transcripts (BART) encode microRNAs (EBV-miR-BARTs) abnormally highly expressed and play an essential role in NPC. Our previous study indicated that circulating EBV-miR-BARTs was potentially severed as a biomarker of NPC. This study aims to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic performance of miR-BART7-3p and miR-BART13-3p. Methods Plasma levels of EBV DNA, miR-BART7-3p, and miR-BART13-3p were examined by quantitative PCR in 483 treatment-naïve NPC patients and 243 controls without NPC. The prognostic performance was examined by comparing plasma levels with rates of distant metastasis during follow-up. Results Plasma EBV DNA was detected in 93.7% of NPC subjects vs. 8.6% of controls. The microRNAs BART7-3p and miR-BART13-3p were detected in 96.1% and 97.9% of NPC subjects vs. 3.39% and 3.3% of controls. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for diagnosing NPC was 0.926 for EBV DNA, 0.964 for miR-BART7-3p, 0.973 for miR-BART13-3p, and 0.997 for all three indices. Among 465 NPC patients without distant metastasis, the above-median miR-BART7-3p and EBV-DNA were independent risk for shorter distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) (HR=2.94, 95%CI: 1.44-5.97, p=0.003; HR=2.27, 95%CI:1.26-4.10, p=0.006) in multivariate Cox regression. In the 245 patients who received radiotherapy, EBV DNA, miR-BART7-3p, and miR-BART13-3p were detectable immediately afterward in, respectively, 28.6%, 17.6%, and 54.7% of patients. Four-year DMFS rate was lower in patients with detectable miR-BART7-3p (73.0% vs. 89.7%, p<0.001), miR-BART13-3p (61.4% vs. 90.0%, p<0.001), and EBV-DNA (82.7% vs. 89.5%, p=0.035) after radiotherapy. In multivariate Cox regression, detectable miR-BART7-3p and EBV-DNA were independent risks for shorter DMFS (HR=4.13, 95%CI: 1.89-9.01, p<0.001; HR = 2.14, 95%CI: 1.04-4.42, p=0.039). Four-years DMFS rate was 92.0% in subjects (n=156) with neither detectable miR-BART7-3p nor EBV-DNA after radiotherapy, 80.0% in subjects (n=65) with either detectable miR-BART7-3p or EBV-DNA after radiotherapy, and 52.9% in subjects (n=24) with both detectable miR-BART7-3p and EBV-DNA after radiotherapy (p<0.001). Conclusions Circulating levels of miR-BART7-3p and miR-BART13-3p show excellent diagnostic performance for NPC. The combination of plasma levels of miR-BART7-3p and EBV DNA at diagnosis and after radiotherapy may help stratify patients by risk of poor DMFS.


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