Table 1 Associations between the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients and SMAD as indicated by the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test
Characteristic | Number (%) | Training cohort | Â | P-value | Validation cohort Number (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Â | Â | SMAD | Â | Â | |
| Â | Â | Absent | Present | Â | Â |
Age, years | Â | Â | Â | 0.379 | Â |
  < 45 | 1404 (52.3%) | 1311 (93.4%) | 93 (6.6%) |  | 679 (51.1%) |
  ≥ 45 | 1281 (47.7%) | 1185 (92.5%) | 96 (7.5%) |  | 650 (48.9%) |
Sex | Â | Â | Â | 0.025 | Â |
 Male | 2131 (79.4%) | 1969 (92.4%) | 162 (7.6%) |  | 986 (74.2%) |
 Female | 554 (20.6%) | 527 (95.1%) | 27 (4.9%) |  | 343 (25.8%) |
Smoking Status | Â | Â | Â | 0.055 | Â |
 Absent | 1708 (63.3%) | 1600 (93.7%) | 108 (6.3%) |  | 795 (59.8%) |
 Present | 977 (36.4%) | 896 (91.7%) | 81 (8.3%) |  | 534 (40.2%) |
Drinking Status | Â | Â | Â | 0.873 | Â |
 Absent | 2382 (88.7%) | 2215 (93.0%) | 167 (7.0%) |  | 1117 (84.0%) |
 Present | 303 (11.3%) | 281 (92.7%) | 22 (7.3%) |  | 212 (16.0%) |
Family history | Â | Â | Â | 0.566 | Â |
 Absent | 1926 (71.7%) | 1787 (92.8%) | 139 (7.2%) |  | 967 (72.8%) |
 Present | 759 (28.3%) | 709 (93.4%) | 50 (6.6%) |  | 362 (27.2%) |
Calcium, mmol/L | Â | Â | Â | 0.932 | Â |
  < 2.4 | 1370 (51.0%) | 1273 (92.9%) | 97 (7.1%) |  | 501 (37.7%) |
  ≥ 2.4 | 1315 (49.0%) | 1223 (93.0%) | 92 (7.0%) |  | 828 (62.3%) |
Phosphorus, mmol/L | Â | Â | Â | 0.587 | Â |
  < 1.15 | 1398 (52.1%) | 1296 (92.7%) | 102 (7.3%) |  | 676 (50.9%) |
  ≥ 1.15 | 1287 (47.9%) | 1200 (93.2%) | 87 (6.8%) |  | 653 (49.1%) |
Magnesium, mmol/L | Â | Â | Â | 0.308 | Â |
  < 0.93 | 1410 (52.2%) | 1304 (92.5%) | 106 (7.5%) |  | 919 (69.1%) |
  ≥ 0.93 | 1275 (47.5%) | 1192 (93.5%) | 83 (6.5%) |  | 410 (30.9%) |
CRP, mg/L | Â | Â | Â | < 0.001 | Â |
  < 1.91 | 1345 (50.1%) | 1283 (95.4%) | 62 (4.6%) |  | 722 (54.3%) |
  ≥ 1.91 | 1340 (49.9%) | 1213 (90.5%) | 127 (9.5%) |  | 607 (45.7%) |
WBCs, ×109 |  |  |  | 0.137 |  |
  < 6.9 | 1376 (51.2%) | 1289 (93.7%) | 87 (6.3%) |  | 677 (50.9%) |
  ≥ 6.9 | 1309 (48.8%) | 1207 (92.2%) | 102 (7.8%) |  | 652 (49.1%) |
Neutrophils, ×109 |  |  |  | 0.001 |  |
  < 4.2 | 1356 (50.5%) | 1283 (94.6%) | 73 (5.4%) |  | 691 (52.0%) |
  ≥ 4.2 | 1329 (49.5%) | 1213 (91.3%) | 116 (8.7%) |  | 638 (48.0%) |
HGB, g/L | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
  < 145 | 1379 (51.4%) | 1264 (91.7%) | 115 (8.3%) | 0.007 | 758 (57.0%) |
  ≥ 145 | 1306 (48.6%) | 1232 (94.3%) | 74 (5.7%) |  | 571 (43.0%) |
Platelets, ×109 |  |  |  | 0.013 |  |
  < 229 | 1343 (50.0%) | 1265 (94.2%) | 78 (5.8%) |  | 638 (48.0%) |
  ≥ 229 | 1342 (50.0%) | 1231 (91.7%) | 111 (8.3%) |  | 691 (52.0%) |
ALT, U/L | Â | Â | Â | 0.392 | Â |
  < 22.2 | 1345 (50.1%) | 1256 (93.4%) | 89 (6.6%) |  | 725 (54.6%) |
  ≥ 22.2 | 1340 (49.9%) | 1240 (92.5%) | 100 (7.5%) |  | 604 (45.4%) |
AST, U/L | Â | Â | Â | 0.092 | Â |
  < 21 | 1366 (50.9) | 1281 (93.8%) | 85 (6.2%) |  | 675 (50.8%) |
  ≥ 21 | 1319 (49.1%) | 1215 (92.1%) | 104 (7.9%) |  | 654 (49.2%) |
ALP, U/L | Â | Â | Â | < 0.001 | Â |
  < 70 | 1357 (50.5%) | 1304 (96.1%) | 53 (3.9%) |  | 744 (56.0%) |
  ≥ 70 | 1328 (49.5%) | 1192 (89.8%) | 136 (10.2%) |  | 585 (44.0%) |
LDH, U/L | Â | Â | Â | < 0.001 | Â |
  < 172.2 | 1344 (50.1%) | 1287 (95.8%) | 57 (4.2%) |  | 706 (53.1%) |
  ≥ 172.2 | 1341 (49.9%) | 1209 (90.2%) | 132 (9.8%) |  | 623 (46.9%) |
ALB, g/L | Â | Â | Â | 0.003 | Â |
  < 44.9 | 1351 (50.3%) | 1236 (91.5%) | 115 (8.5%) |  | 576 (43.3%) |
  ≥ 44.9 | 1334 (49.7%) | 1260 (94.5%) | 74 (5.5%) |  | 753 (56.7%) |
GLB, g/L | Â | Â | Â | 0.507 | Â |
  < 30.5 | 1341 (49.9%) | 1251 (93.3%) | 90 (6.7%) |  | 793 (59.7%) |
  ≥ 30.5 | 1344 (50.1%) | 1245 (92.6%) | 99 (7.4%) |  | 536 (40.3%) |
Cholesterol, mmol/L | Â | Â | Â | 0.054 | Â |
  < 5.12 | 1353 (50.4%) | 1245 (92.0%) | 108 (8.0%) |  | 576 (43.3%) |
  ≥ 5.2 | 1332 (49.6%) | 1251 (93.9%) | 81 (6.1%) |  | 753 (56.7%) |
T lymphocytes, ×109 |  |  |  | 0.289 |  |
  < 1.8 | 1392 (51.8%) | 1287 (92.5%) | 105 (7.5%) |  | 622 (46.8%) |
  ≥ 1.8 | 1293 (48.2%) | 1209 (93.5%) | 84 (6.5%) |  | 707 (53.2%) |
Monocytes, ×109 |  |  |  | 0.005 |  |
  < 0.4 | 1385 (51.6%) | 1306 (94.3%) | 79 (5.7%) |  | 462 (34.8%) |
  ≥ 0.4 | 1300 (48.4%) | 1190 (91.5%) | 110 (8.5%) |  | 867 (65.2%) |
Pathology | Â | Â | Â | 0.852 | Â |
 Undifferentiated | 2592 (96.5%) | 2410 (93.0%) | 182 (7.0%) |  | 1300 (97.8%) |
 Differentiated | 93 (3.5%) | 86 (92.5%) | 7 (7.5%) |  | 29 (2.2%) |
Cranial nerve injury | Â | Â | Â | 0.730 | Â |
 Absent | 2498 (93.0%) | 2321 (92.9%) | 177 (7.1%) |  | 1234 (92.9%) |
 Present | 187 (7.0%) | 175 (93.6%) | 12 (6.4%) |  | 95 (7.1%) |
EBV-DNA, copies/ml | Â | Â | Â | < 0.001 | Â |
  < 1000 | 1130 (42.1%) | 1092 (96.6%) | 38 (3.4%) |  | 526 (39.6%) |
 1000–9999 | 585 (21.8%) | 555 (94.9%) | 30 (5.1%) |  | 265 (19.9%) |
 10,000–99,999 | 599 (22.3%) | 555 (92.7%) | 44 (23.3%) |  | 325 (24.5%) |
 100,000–999,999 | 290 (10.8%) | 245 (84.5%) | 45 (15.5%) |  | 156 (11.7%) |
  ≥ 1,000,000 | 81 (3.0%) | 49 (60.5%) | 32 (39.5%) |  | 57 (4.3%) |
T category | Â | Â | Â | 0.804 | Â |
 1 | 167 (6.2%) | 158 (94.6%) | 37 (5.4%) |  | 81 (6.1%) |
 2 | 525 (19.6%) | 488 (93.0%) | 37 (7.0%) |  | 328 (24.7%) |
 3 | 1374 (51.2%) | 1278 (93.0%) | 96 (7.0%) |  | 630 (47.4%) |
 4 | 619 (23.1%) | 572 (92.4%) | 47 (7.6%) |  | 290 (21.8%) |
N category | Â | Â | Â | < 0.001 | Â |
 0 | 319 (11.9%) | 312 (97.8%) | 7 (2.2%) |  | 250 (18.8%) |
 1 | 921 (34.3%) | 887 (96.3%) | 34 (3.7%) |  | 449 (33.8%) |
 2 | 775 (28.9%) | 697 (89.9%) | 78 (10.1%) |  | 370 (27.8%) |
 3 | 549 (20.4%) | 494 (90.0%) | 55 (10.0%) |  | 243 (18.3%) |
 4 | 121 (4.5%) | 106 (87.6%) | 15 (12.4%) |  | 17 (1.3%) |
Radiotherapy technique | Â | Â | Â | 0.451 | Â |
 IMRT +3DCRT | 1341(49.9%) | 1252 (93.4%) | 89 (6.6%) |  | 705(65.9%) |
 CRT | 1344(51.1%) | 1244 (92.6%) | 100 (7.4%) |  | 624(34.1%) |
Treatment method | Â | Â | Â | PÂ <Â 0.001 | Â |
 Radiotherapy | 505(18.8%) | 481 (95.2%) | 24 (4.8%) |  | 318 (24.1%) |
 CCRT | 1136 (42.3%) | 1086 (95.6%) | 50(4.4%) |  | 425 (32.2%) |
 Neo + radiotherapy | 483 (18.0%) | 419 (86.7%) | 64 (13.3%) |  | 265 (20.1%) |
 Neo + CCRT | 561(20.9%) | 510 (90.9%) | 51(9.1%) |  | 311 (23.5%) |
SMAD | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Absent | 2496 (93.0%) |  |  |  | 1231 (92.6%) |
 Present | 189 (7%) |  |  |  | 98 (7.4%) |