Prognostic Value of Hematological Markers in Head and Neck Cancer Patients With a History of Hematological Malignancy

Abstract

Background and Objectives Head and neck cancer can occur as a second primary tumor in patients with a history of hematological malignancy, and the pathological features of those are more aggressive than de novo primary head and neck cancer. However, research related to the prognostic value of hematological markers in the head and neck cancer patients with a history of hematological malignancy is scarce, so we performed this study.Subjects and Method We reviewed a total of 89 head and neck cancer patients with hematological malignancy diagnosed at a single tertiary hospital between 1997 and 2021, and enrolled 29. The analyzed hematological parameters included pre- and post-treatment hemoglobin, hematocrit, lactate dehydrogenase, absolute neturophil count (ANC), absolute platelet count, absolute leukocyte count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio.Results Hematological malignancy was diagnosed almost 62.14±96.10 months before head and neck cancer. The most common hematological malignancy was acute myeloid leukemia. The overall survival (OS) rate was lower in patients with second primary tumor than in those with de novo primary head and neck cancer. The cox-proportional hazard ratio analysis showed that the post-treatment absolute neutrophil count was significantly correlated with disease-free survival but not with OS.Conclusion The post-treatment hematological profile, particularly ANC, can be considered a useful prognostic marker in the head and neck cancer patients with a history of hematological malignancy.