The Naples Prognostic Score Exerts a Significant Impact on the Prognosis of Patients Diagnosed with External Auditory Canal Carcinoma After Surgery.

BACKGROUND

External auditory canal carcinoma (EACC) is a rare malignant tumor. This study aimed to investigate the influence of the comprehensive index of nutrition- Naples prognostic score (NPS) on the prognosis of EACC patients with surgical resection.

METHODS

A total of 73 EACC patients with surgical resection were selected from two tertiary medical institutions, and were diagnosed between Sep 2008 and Aug 2019. The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify the independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for postoperative EACC patients. The prognosis for postoperative EACC patients with varying NPS were displayed by Kaplan-Meier plots.

RESULTS

The 3- and 5-year survival rate for EACC patients with surgical resection were 72.6%, 32.9% for DFS, and 76.7%, 52.1% for OS, respectively. The multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that advanced Pittsburgh stage, perineural invasion, vascular invasion, and higher NPS were identified as independent prognostic factors for DFS. Additionally, advanced Pittsburgh stage, vascular invasion, an ACCI score of 6 or higher, and higher NPS were found to be independent predictors for OS.

CONCLUSION

NPS serves as a crucial predictor of postoperative outcomes in patients with EACC, with higher levels indicating poorer disease-free and overall survival. Additionally, factors such as Pittsburgh stage, perineural and vascular invasion, and ACCI are also significant prognostic indicators.