Abstract: Objective To evaluate whether the plasma CD100 (pCD100) concentration could predict the clinical outcome of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods A total of 60 patients and 23 healthy doners were enrolled. Their plasma concentrations of CD100 were measured by ELISA, and EBV DNA loads were detected by real-time PCR. The relationship between pCD100 concentrations and outcomes of NPC patients was analyzed. Results The pCD100 concentrations were higher in NPC patients than in health controls (P < 0. 0001). In addition, the pCD100 concentrations were significantly elevated in NPC patients with recurrence or metastasis than those without recurrent and metastasis (P< 0. 0001). Cox analysis showed that the concentration of pCD100 was associated with 5-year progression-free survival ( PFS) rate in NPC patients ( P < 0. 0001), and was an independent prognostic factor for PFS of NPC patients. Conclusion The pCD100 concentration is associated with NPC recurrence or metastasis and could be a potential noninvasive prognostic marker for NPC.

Key words: plasma CD100, nasopharyngealcarcinoma, recurrence, metastasis, biomarker