Development and Validation of an Individualized Nomogram for Predicting Overall Survival in Patients With Typical Lung Carcinoid Tumors

We aim to develop and validate an effective nomogram prognostic model for patients with typical lung carcinoid tumors using a large patient cohort from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from patients with typical lung carcinoid tumors between 2010 and 2015 were selected from the SEER database for retrospective analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis was performed to clarify independent prognostic factors. Next, a nomogram was formulated to predict the probability of 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS). Concordance indexes (c-index), receiver operating characteristic analysis and calibration curves were used to evaluate the model. RESULTS: The selected patients were randomly divided into a training and a validation cohort. A nomogram was established based on the training cohort. Cox analysis results indicated that age, sex, T stage, N stage, surgery, and bone metastasis were independent variables for OS. All these factors, except surgery, were included in the nomogram model for predicting 3- and 5-year OS. The internally and externally validated c-indexes were 0.787 and 0.817, respectively. For the 3-year survival prediction, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the areas under the curve in the training and validation cohorts were 0.824 and 0.795, respectively. For the 5-year survival prediction, the area under the curve in the training and validation cohorts were 0.812 and 0.787, respectively. The calibration plots for probability of survival were in good agreement. CONCLUSION: The nomogram brings us closer to personalized medicine and the maximization of predictive accuracy in the prediction of OS in patients with typical lung carcinoid tumors.