Survival nomogram for medulloblastoma and multi-center external validation cohort

Background: Medulloblastoma (MB) is a highly malignant neuroepithelial tumor occurring in the central nervous system. The objective of this study was to establish an effective prognostic nomogram to predict the overall survival (OS) of MB patients. Materials and methods: The nomogram was developed using data from a retrospective cohort of 280 medulloblastoma patients (aged 3–18 years) identified from Beijing Tiantan Hospital between 2016 and 2021 as the training cohort. To validate the performance of the nomogram, collaborations were formed with eight leading pediatric oncology centers across different regions of China. A total of 162 medulloblastoma patients meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled from these collaborating centers. Cox regression analysis, best subsets regression, and Lasso regression were employed to select independent prognostic factors. The nomogram’s prognostic effectiveness for overall survival was assessed using the concordance index, receiver operating characteristic curve, and calibration curve. Results: In the training cohort, the selected variables through COX regression, best subsets regression, and Lasso regression, along with their clinical significance, included age, molecular subtype, histological type, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, metastasis, and hydrocephalus. The internally and externally validated C-indexes were 0.907 and 0.793, respectively. Calibration curves demonstrated the precise prediction of 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS for MB patients using the nomogram. Conclusion: This study developed a nomogram that incorporates clinical and molecular factors to predict OS prognosis in medulloblastoma patients. The nomogram exhibited improved predictive accuracy compared to previous studies and demonstrated good performance in the external validation cohort. By considering multiple factors, clinicians can utilize this nomogram as a valuable tool for individualized prognosis prediction and treatment decision-making in medulloblastoma patients.