Published online Nov 16, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i32.11726
Peer-review started: August 8, 2022
First decision: September 25, 2022
Revised: October 2, 2022
Accepted: October 17, 2022
Article in press: October 17, 2022
Published online: November 16, 2022
There is no unified standard to predict postoperative survival in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC), hence the urgency to develop a model to accurately predict the prognosis of these patients.
Development of new models for predicting survival in patients with TSCC is important for facilitating patient-clinician communications and assisting clinicians in improving decision-making.
This study aimed to develop nomograms for predicting overall survival and cancer-specific survival in patients with TSCC based on demographic and histopathological variables, and to externally validate the established nomograms.
Two databases of patients with TSCC were used to develop nomograms and to perform external validation, respectively.
Eight variables were selected and used to develop nomograms for patients with TSCC. The C-index and area under the curve indicated that the discrimination abilities of these nomograms were acceptable. The calibration curves indicated that predicted and actual values were consistent. The NRI values and decision curve analysis results indicated that the nomograms were significantly better than the TNM staging system in predicting the prognosis of patients with TSCC.
The nomograms we developed exhibit great accuracy, effectiveness, and clinical utility for predicting the prognosis of patients with TSCC.
In addition to the demographic and histopathological characteristics, some molecular markers that have an impact on survival, such as PD-1, CD47, CXCL11, may be incorporated to predict the prognosis of patients with TSCC in future.