Development and validation of a novel nomogram for individualized prediction of survival in cancer of unknown primary

A. C.Kanwal Raghav, Hyunsoo Hwang, Alexandre A. Jacome, Eric Bhang, Anneleis Willett, Ryan W. Huey, Nishat P. Dhillon, Jignesh Modha, Brandon Smaglo, Aurelio Matamoros, Jeannelyn S. Estrella, Justin Jao, Michael J. Overman, Xuemei Wang, F. Anthony Greco, Jonathan M. Loree, Gauri R. Varadhachary

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: Prognostic uncertainty is a major challenge for cancer of unknown primary (CUP). Current models limit a meaningful patient-provider dialogue. We aimed to establish a nomogram for predicting overall survival (OS) in CUP based on robust clinicopathologic prognostic factors. Experimental Design: We evaluated 521 patients with CUP at MDAnderson Cancer Center (MDACC; Houston, TX; 2012-2016). Baseline variables were analyzed using Cox regression and nomogram developed using significant predictors. Predictive accuracy and discriminatory performance were assessed by calibration curves, concordance probability estimate (CPE ± SE), and concordance statistic (C-index). The model was subjected to bootstrapping and multi-institutional external validations using two independent CUP cohorts: V1 [MDACC (2017), N = 103] and V2 (BC Cancer, Vancouver, Canada and Sarah Cannon Cancer Center/Tennessee Oncology, Nashville, TN; N = 302). Results: Baseline characteristics of entire cohort (N = 926) included: median age (63 years), women (51%), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) 0-1 (64%), adenocarcinomas (52%), ≥3 sites of metastases (30%), and median follow-up duration and OS of 40.1 and 14.7 months, respectively. Five independent prognostic factors were identified: gender, ECOG PS, histology, number of metastatic sites, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio. The resulting model predicted OS with CPE of 0.69 [SE: ± 0.01; C-index: 0.71 (95% confidence interval: 0.68-0.74)] outperforming Culine/Seve prognostic models (CPE: 0.59 ± 0.01). CPE for external validation cohorts V1 and V2 were 0.67 (± 0.02) and 0.70 (± 0.01), respectively. Calibration curves for 1-year OS showed strong agreement between nomogram prediction and actual observations in all cohorts. Conclusions: Our user-friendly CUP nomogram integrating commonly available baseline factors provides robust personalized prognostication which can aid clinical decision making and selection/stratification for clinical trials.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3414-3421
Number of pages8
JournalClinical Cancer Research
Volume27
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2021

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

MD Anderson CCSG core facilities

  • Biostatistics Resource Group
  • Clinical Trials Office

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