Lymph node ratio predicts recurrence-free survival and disease-specific survival of patients with pyriform sinus squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed positive lymph node ratio (LNR) as a prognostic marker for patients with pyriform sinus cancer.

METHODS

The present study retrospectively analyzed 101 patients with pyriform sinus cancer to determine the association of LNR with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS).

RESULTS

The patients were followed up for a median duration of 28 months (range: 6-196 months). The number of median dissected lymph nodes (LNs) was 41, and the number of median positive LNs was three. The receiver operating characteristic curve revealed an LNR cut-off value of 8.6%. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) or perineural invasion (PNI) (P = 0.001), thyroid gland invasion (TGI, P = 0.000), positive LNs >4 (P = 0.036), and LNR >8.6% (P = 0.008) were significantly associated with poor RFS, and LVI or PNI (P = 0.005), tumor pT3/T4 stage (P = 0.028), positive LNs >4 (P = 0.033), TGI (P = 0.001), and LNR >8.6% (P = 0.003) were significantly associated with poor DSS. The multivariate analysis revealed that LVI or PNI (P = 0.010), TGI (P = 0.000), and LNR >8.6% (P = 0.022) were independent predictors for poor RFS, while tumor pT3/T4 stage (P = 0.049), TGI (P = 0.015), and LNR >8.6% (P = 0.001) were independent predictors for poor DDS.

CONCLUSION

LNR and other clinicopathological data can be used to predict the RFS and DSS of pyriform sinus cancer patients.