Development of a Nomogram for Predicting Overall Survival of Oral and Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This study aimed to examine the correlation between Ki‐67 expression and clinicopathological features of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC/OPSCC), evaluate the prognostic value of Ki‐67, and develop a prognostic model incorporating Ki‐67 expression. A total of 469 patients diagnosed with OSCC/OPSCC, hospitalized between 2012 and 2022, were included. Patients’ surgical specimens were subjected to immunohistochemical staining to determine their Ki‐67 expression. Clinicopathological data of patients were also collected. Patients exhibiting male sex, poor pathological differentiation, advanced TNM stage, and metastasis demonstrated elevated levels of Ki‐67 expression. Age and recurrence did not affect that. According to the Cox proportional hazards model, Ki‐67, age, recurrence, metastasis, and primary tumor site were identified as independent risk factors for patient prognosis. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis indicated that the higher the Ki‐67 expression, the shorter the patients’ overall survival. A prognostic model using independent risk factors was developed. The model was presented as a nomogram with a c‐index of 0.768. The calibration curve also showed a good predictive performance of the model. This study confirmed the prognostic significance of Ki‐67 expression in OSCC/OPSCC. A prognostic prediction model that incorporated Ki‐67 expression was developed, providing a new tool for predicting patient prognosis in clinical practice.