title: Prognostic value of pretreatment serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase in nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: single-site analysis of 601 patients in a highly endemic area.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Numerous studies have generated promising but incomplete evidence for the prognostic value of pretreatment serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (S-LDH) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Pretreatment serum levels of S-LDH in 601 patients with NPC were measured before treatment, and their associations with overall survival and tumor-free survival were studied. Univariate and multivariate analysis of subgroups was used to evaluate the prognostic value of S-LDH in early-stage and late-stage NPC separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pretreatment S-LDH levels were significantly lower in T1+2 patients than in T3+4 patients, lower in N0+1 patients than in N2+3 ones, and lower in stage I + II patients than in III + IV ones. Multivariate analysis showed that among patients with late-stage NPC, high pretreatment S-LDH levels >225 U/L were an independent predictor of poor overall survival and tumor-free survival. Among patients with early-stage NPC, pretreatment S-LDH levels >171 U/L, which overlap with the normal range, were an independent predictor of shorter overall survival and tumor-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pretreatment S-LDH levels may be a reliable biomarker for predicting the long-term prognosis of patients with early-stage or late-stage NPC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Tumor Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhengbo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Tumor Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xianjie
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Tumor Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Tumor Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xuwei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Key Laboratory for High-Incidence Tumor Prevention and Treatment, Experimental Center of Medical Science of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xie
keywords: early stage; late stage; nasopharyngeal carcinoma; prognosis; serum lactate dehydrogenase