A nomogram to predict short-term outcome of radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy based on pre/post-treatment inflammatory biomarkers and their dynamic changes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

We initially aimed to investigate pre/post-treatment inflammatory biomarkers (pre/post-IBs) and their dynamic changes (delta-IBs) on the short-term outcome (STO) of radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Furthermore, a nomogram was built to provide an accurate prediction of STO. The STO using the treatment response evaluation was assessed according to RECIST 1.1 at 1 month after radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. The IBs (absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC), neutrophil/lymphocyte (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte (PLR), and lymphocyte/monocyte (LMR)) and clinical variables were collected and analyzed from 398 ESCC patients at Shandong Cancer Hospital between 2015 and 2019. The nomogram was then established for predicting STO. Pre-ALC and pre-LMR significantly increased, pre-NLR and pre-PLR significantly decreased during radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy (all P < 0.001). Meanwhile, there was a positive correlation between delta-NLR as well as delta-PLR (r = 0.621) and delta-LMR (r = 0.613), whereas a negatively correlated between delta-LMR and delta-PLR (r = −0.573). Multivariate analysis indicated that gender [OR, 0.473; 95%CI, 0.274–0.816; P = 0.007], pre-ALC [OR, 0.554; 95%CI, 0.335–0.915; P = 0.021], pre-NLR [OR, 3.176; 95%CI, 1.733–5.823; P < 0.001], post-NLR [OR, 2.418; 95%CI, 1.271–4.600; P = 0.007] and delta-NLR [OR, 1.929; 95%CI, 1.035–3.595; P = 0.039] were statistically significant with STO. And c-index of the nomogram established by combining all independent predictors for STO was 0.770 [95%CI, 0.719–0.820]. Pre-NLR, pre-ALC, post-NLR, and delta-NLR were significant with STO in ESCC patients treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Further, pre-NLR had the best predictive value, and the developed nomogram with superior prediction ability for STO could assist in patients counseling and guide to make individual treatments.