Oncotarget

Research Papers:

Risk stratification based on change in plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA load after treatment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Yuan Zhang, Wen-Fei Li, Yan-Ping Mao, Rui Guo, Ling-Long Tang, Hao Peng, Ying Sun, Qing Liu, Lei Chen and Jun Ma _

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Oncotarget. 2016; 7:9576-9585. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.7083

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Abstract

Yuan Zhang1,*, Wen-Fei Li1,*, Yan-Ping Mao1, Rui Guo1, Ling-Long Tang1, Hao Peng1, Ying Sun1, Qing Liu2, Lei Chen1, Jun Ma1

1Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou 510060, People’s Republic of China

2Department of Cancer Prevention Research, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou 510060, People’s Republic of China

*These authors have contributed equally to this work

Correspondence to:

Jun Ma, e-mail: [email protected]

Lei Chen, e-mail: [email protected]

Keywords: nasopharyngeal neoplasms, tumor markers, biological, Epstein-Barr virus, DNA

Received: August 21, 2015     Accepted: January 13, 2016     Published: January 30, 2016

ABSTRACT

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The current study investigated change in the plasma EBV DNA load in the first 3 months after treatment and its clinical significance in NPC.

Methods: A total of 273 patients with non-metastatic, histologically-proven NPC treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: EBV DNA was detectable in 19/273 (7.0%) patients at the end of therapy (end-DNA). Three months later, 16/273 (5.9%) patients had detectable EBV DNA (3-month-DNA). To investigate risk stratified by the pattern of change in post-treatment EBV-DNA, we divided patients into four subgroups: Group 1, undetectable end-DNA and 3-month-DNA (n = 244); Group 2, detectable end-DNA and undetectable 3-month-DNA (n = 13); Group 3, undetectable end-DNA and detectable 3-month-DNA (n = 7); and Group 4, detectable end-DNA and 3-month-DNA (n = 2). Patients with delayed remission of EBV DNA after treatment (Group 2) had significantly poorer 3-year DFS (48.6% vs. 89.7%, P < 0.001), DMFS (48.6% vs. 94.6%, P < 0.001) and OS (91.7% vs. 97.5%, P < 0.001) than those with persistently undetectable EBV DNA post-treatment (Group 1). Five of the seven patients with re-emergent EBV DNA (Group 3) and both patients with persistent EBV DNA post-treatment (Group 4) developed disease failure.

Conclusion: Plasma EBV DNA load continues to change during the first 3 months after treatment. The pattern of change in EBV DNA load post-treatment could help identify patients with different prognoses.


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