Abstract: Background and purpose: The prognostic values of hematological biomarkers in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with nimotuzumab remains unclear. This study investigated the association of pretreatment hematological biomarkers with staging, and its prognostic values for short-term efficacy after treatment. Methods: A total of 83 patients with stage Ⅲ or stage Ⅳa NPC were treated in Meizhou People’s Hospital from Apr. 2015 to Oct. 2018. All patients received chemoradiotherapy, and nimotuzumab was administered concurrently with radiotherapy. Platelet count, lymphocyte count, platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA were collected before treatment. Results: Pretreatment platelet count, PLR and EBV DNA levels were neither significantly associated with T stage, N stage and overall stage, nor the response extent of tumor after treatment. Pretreatment combination of platelet count and lymphocyte count showed significant correlation with the response rates of cervical lymph nodes after treatment. Complete response (CR) rates of cervical lymph nodes were significantly higher in patients without elevated platelet count and lymphocyte count. Conclusion: Pretreatment combination of platelet count and lymphocyte count, but not platelet count, PLR, or EBV DNA levels alone, could predict the short-term efficacy in locoregionally advanced NPC patients treated with nimotuzumab.

Key words: Nasopharyngeal neoplasm, Chemoradiotherapy, Nimotuzumab, Biomarkers, Epstein-Barr virus, Efficacy