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. 2020 Sep-Oct;25(5):768-774.
doi: 10.1016/j.rpor.2020.07.002. Epub 2020 Jul 28.

Pretreatment hemoglobin level as a prognostic factor in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Cecília Melo-Alvim  1 , Patrícia Miguel-Semedo  1 , Rita Silva Paiva  1 , Soraia Lobo-Martins  1 , Helena Luna-Pais  1 , Ana Lúcia Costa  1 , Ana Rita Santos  2 , André Florindo  3 , Ana Luísa Vasconcelos  3 , André N Abrunhosa-Branquinho  3 , Paulo Palmela  4 , Leonor Fernandes  5 , Dolores Lopez Presa  6 , Luís Costa  1   7 , Leonor Ribeiro  1
Affiliations

Pretreatment hemoglobin level as a prognostic factor in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Cecília Melo-Alvim et al. Rep Pract Oncol Radiother. 2020 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Aim: Evaluate pretreatment hemoglobin values as a prognostic factor in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Background: Anemia is one of the most prevalent laboratory abnormalities in oncological disease. It leads to a decrease in cellular oxygen supply, altering radiosensitivity of tumor cells and compromising therapeutic outcomes.

Materials and methods: Retrospective evaluation of patients with HNSCC treated with cCRT. Primary and secondary endpoint was to evaluate the correlation of Hb levels (≥12.5 g/dL or <12.5 g/dL) at the beginning of cCRT with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), respectively.

Results: A total of 108 patients were identified. With a median follow-up of 16.10 months median OS was 59.70 months for Hb ≥12.5 g/dL vs. 14.13 months for Hb <12.5 g/dL (p = 0.004). PFS was 12.29 months for Hb ≥12.5 g/dL and 1.68 months for Hb <12.5 g/dL (p = 0.016).

Conclusions: In this analysis, Hb ≥12.5 g/dL correlated with significantly better OS and PFS. Further studies are needed to validate these findings.

Keywords: Anemia; Biomarkers; Chemoradiotherapy; Head and neck neoplasms; Hemoglobin.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Kaplan–Meier curves of overall survival according to pretreatment hemoglobin levels. HR: hazard ratio; CI: confidence interval; Hb: hemoglobin
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Kaplan–Meier curves of progression-free survival according to pretreatment hemoglobin levels. HR: hazard ratio; CI: confidence interval; Hb: hemoglobin
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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