Prognostic Nutritional Index and Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index Predict the Prognosis of Patients with HCC

Construction and validation of a novel liver function-tumor burden-inflammation-nutrition (LTIN) score for HCC patients underwent hepatectomy

OBJECTIVE

Liver function, tumor burden, inflammation level, and nutritional status are critical factors influencing tumor onset, progression, and metastasis. This study sought to investigate the prognostic significance and clinical relevance of biomarkers associated with these factors to develop a novel liver function-tumor burden-inflammation-nutrition (LTIN) score for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received hepatectomy.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 285 patients with HCC undergoing hepatectomy at two medical centers between July 2019 and July 2023. The patients were divided into a training set (n = 200) and a validation set (n = 85). The study evaluated the prognostic significance of eight relevant clinical indicators and developed an LTIN score using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariate Cox regression analysis were utilized to determine the prognostic value of the LTIN score. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to compare the predictive performance of various prognostic factors.

RESULTS

The LTIN score, derived from the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade, tumor burden score (TBS), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and prognostic inflammatory index (PII), effectively classified patients into high- and low-risk groups based on the optimal cut-off value. Patients with low-risk scores exhibited significantly better overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) than those with high-risk groups in both the training and validation sets (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the LTIN score was identified as a significant independent prognostic factor for both OS (P < 0.001) and RFS (P < 0.001). The LTIN score also exhibited superior prognostic capabilities compared to the other indicators, Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging system, and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicated that the preoperative LTIN score has significant potential as a reliable predictor of OS and RFS for HCC patients underwent radical surgery. The LTIN score could further effectively guide treatment decisions and optimize follow-up strategies to enhance patients prognosis.

Predictive Value of Combined Serum Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 and Prognostic Nutritional Index for Sepsis after Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy

Objective: This prospective observational study aimed to explore the predictive value of serum nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) levels and its combination with the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) for postoperative sepsis in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for renal stones. Methods: This prospective observational study included 112 patients with renal stones who underwent PCNL surgery in our hospital from January 2023 to December 2023. The diagnosis of sepsis was based on the third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3). Clinical data on all patients were collected, and the PNI index was calculated. The serum levels of Nrf2, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in all patients were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 25.0 statistical software. Results: Compared with the nonsepsis patients, the sepsis patients had a higher proportion of positive preoperative urine cultures, longer activated partial thromboplastin time, and lower PNI scores. At 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery, the sepsis patients had significantly lower serum Nrf2 levels and higher levels of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and CRP. Pearson's analysis showed a negative correlation between serum Nrf2 levels and IL-6 and CRP levels. The combination of PNI and serum Nrf2 levels at 24 hours after surgery had a higher predictive level, with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.844, a sensitivity of 75.3%, and a specificity of 77.8%. Finally, logistic regression analysis showed that decreased serum Nrf2 level at 24 hours after surgery was a risk factor for postoperative sepsis in renal stone patients. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study results indicate significantly lower serum Nrf2 levels in postoperative sepsis patients undergoing PCNL. Serum Nrf2 levels in combination with PNI can be used to predict the occurrence of postoperative sepsis in renal stone patients undergoing PCNL.

Prognostic value of prognostic nutritional index in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with endostar and concurrent chemoradiotherapy

PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the pre-treatment prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC) treated with endostar combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (ECCRT).

METHODS

Clinical data from 92 patients with LANPC who underwent ECCRT between May 2015 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The PNI was calculated using peripheral blood samples taken 1 week before treatment. The optimal cut-off value for PNI was determined via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis based on overall survival (OS). Patients were categorized into high PNI and low PNI groups. The Kaplan-Meier method assessed the impact of PNI on survival, while univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses identified independent risk factors affecting patient survival.

RESULTS

The optimal cut-off value of PNI was 50.05. The 3-year OS, progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and local recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) rates were 91.07% vs. 75.00% (P = 0.002), 83.93% vs. 66.67% (P = 0.015), 89.29% vs. 69.44% (P = 0.004), and 94.64% vs. 91.67% (P = 0.668) in the high PNI and low PNI groups, respectively. A low PNI was associated with shorter OS (HR = 3.592, P = 0.004), PFS (HR = 2.890, P = 0.017), and DMFS (HR = 3.826, P = 0.008). Multivariate analysis revealed that PNI was an independent prognostic factor for OS, PFS, and DMFS.

CONCLUSIONS

The PNI may serve as a valuable prognostic predictor for patients with LANPC receiving ECCRT, aiding clinicians in selectively providing multimodal interventions to optimize survival outcomes.

Detecting the preoperative peripheral blood systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) as a tool for early diagnosis and prognosis of gallbladder cancer

OBJECTIVE

Evidence indicates that the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) correlates with poor prognosis in various solid tumors. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic significance of preoperative SII combined with tumor markers for early detection and prognosis of gallbladder cancer (GBC).

METHODS

Preoperative SII levels and serum tumor markers [carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), and carbohydrate antigen 19 - 9 (CA19-9)] were measured in GBC patients. Correlations and diagnostic efficacy were analyzed using Spearman correlation and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. The relationship between SII and clinical data was analyzed, and cumulative survival rates of the two groups were compared. Independent risk factors for poor prognosis in GBC patients were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

Preoperative SII, CEA, CA125, and CA19-9 levels were significantly elevated in GBC patients compared to those with benign lesions. SII positively correlated with CEA, CA125, and CA19-9 levels (r = 0.434, 0.570, 0.614, respectively, all P < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the combination of SII, CEA, CA125, and CA19-9 was 0.877 for early GBC diagnosis and 0.923 for predicting postoperative mortality, outperforming each marker individually. An SII threshold > 889.52 was predictive of postoperative death. High SII was associated with tumor size, differentiation, tumor-node-metastasis stage, lymph node metastasis, perineural invasion, surgical type, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and serum tumor marker levels. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed poorer survival in the high SII group. Preoperative SII was identified as an IRF for poor prognosis in GBC patients.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative SII correlates strongly with CEA, CA125, and CA19-9 levels. The combined use of SII and tumor markers offers high diagnostic value for early GBC detection and robust predictive value for postoperative mortality. Preoperative SII serves as an IRF for poor prognosis in GBC patients.

Associations of prognostic nutritional index with cardiovascular all-cause mortality among CVD patients with diabetes or prediabetes: evidence from the NHANES 2005-2018

Background

Immunonutritional status is linked to the prognosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes, but the relationship between immunonutritional disorders and clinical outcomes in CVD patients with diabetes is unclear. This study aims to investigate the association of the novel immunonutritional indicator of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) with all-cause and CVD mortality in diabetic and prediabetic CVD patients.

Method

This is an open-cohort study involving 1,509 CVD patients with diabetes or prediabetes collected from The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and initially interviewed between 2005 and 2018. Subjects were followed up until on December 31, 2019. Mortality outcomes and causes of death were obtained from National Death Index (NDI) records. We used restricted cubic spline (RCS) and maximally selected rank statistics method (MSRSM) to assess the nonlinearity of the PNI-mortality association and determine the optimal PNI cutoff for survival outcomes. Additionally, weighted multivariable Cox regression models, subgroup analyses, and interaction tests were employed to examine the relationship between PNI and all-cause and CVD mortality. The predictive accuracy of PNI for survival outcomes was evaluated using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis.

Results

During a median follow-up of 61 months (interquartile range, 33-103 months), 507 of the 1509 (33.60%) diabetic or prediabetic CVD patients died. A negative and nonlinear association between PNI and all-cause/CVD mortality was identified by RCS analysis in all patients. In the fully-adjusted Cox regression model, in the entire cohort, higher PNI (≥46.5) was significantly associated with reduced risks for all-cause and CVD mortality. A consistent association between PNI and all-cause/CVD mortality was observed in diabetic CVD patients, but not in prediabetic CVD patients. No significant interaction between PNI and other covariates was observed (all P interaction >0.05). Time-dependent ROC curve revealed that the areas under the curve (AUC) of PNI for 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 0.66, 0.66, 0.66, and 0.67 for all-cause mortality, and 0.72, 0.70, 0.72, and 0.69 for CVD mortality, respectively.

Conclusion

Increased PNI is significantly associated with reduced risks for all-cause and CVD mortality in diabetic or prediabetic CVD patients, especially for diabetic CVD patients.

Serum PM20D1 levels are associated with nutritional status and inflammatory factors in gastric cancer patients undergoing early enteral nutrition

Background and objective

Early nutritional support holds paramount importance for postoperative gastric cancer (GC) patients. Peptidase M20 domain containing 1 (PM20D1) is a secretory enzyme associated with glucose and lipid metabolism. However, there is a dearth of clinical studies delving into the connection between PM20D1, lipid metabolism, and inflammatory factors in GC patients who have received enteral nutrition (EN). This research aimed to investigate the serum levels of PM20D1 in GC patients following early EN and their potential associations with lipid metabolism, nutritional markers, and inflammatory factors.

Methods

This prospective observational study enrolled 180 GC patients between May 2020 and July 2022. On the first postoperative day, all patients received EN support, which was maintained for a duration of 5 days. Serum levels of PM20D1, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and C-reactive protein were measured on the sixth day after surgery using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data on demographics, clinical statistics, lipid metabolism, nutritional parameters, and the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were collected. Patients were followed up for 12 months, and both overall survival and disease-free survival were recorded.

Results

In the low PNI group, the serum levels of PM20D1, albumin (ALB), and blood lymphocytes (BL) showed significant reductions. Pearson analysis revealed a negative correlation between PM20D1 and IL-6 levels, whereas a positive correlation emerged between PM20D1 and ALB and BL levels. Furthermore, PM20D1 demonstrated potential as a biomarker for diagnosing poor nutritional status (PNI < 43) in GC patients and was a risk factor for poor nutritional status in GC patients.

Conclusion

Serum PM20D1 remarkably declined in GC patients after early EN and was associated with poor nutritional status.

Nutritional risk assessment using the Nutritional Prognostic Index predicts mortality in Advanced Chronic Liver Disease patients

OBJECTIVES

Early clinical prognosis and mortality reduction remains a challenge in chronic liver disease (CLD). The full potential of the Nutritional Prognostic Index (NPI) for nutritional assessment and management in CLD patients remains unexplored. The aim of this study was to establish an NPI cutoff point for the identification of nutritional risk in advanced CLD (ACLD) patients, as well as to assess the NPI's ability to predict ACLD-associated mortality.

METHODS

This ethically approved prospective cohort study investigated malnutrition risk using both the NPI and the Royal Free Hospital-Nutritional Prioritizing Tool (RFH-NPT) in patients hospitalized for ACLD. NPI reference values were determined using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Associations between nutritional risk identified by the RFH-NPT and the NPI were assessed using Fisher's exact test, and agreement between tools was assessed using the Kappa index. The association between NPI-defined nutritional risk and 12-mo mortality was examined using Pearson Chi-square test.

RESULTS

The sample population consisted of 120 adults, comprising 84 (70%) male and 57 (50.9%) of alcoholic etiology and presenting as Child-Pugh A, B, or C at admission. The identified cutoff point for NPI was <41, identifying nutritional risk in 82.5% of patients. The NPI presented a statistically significant association with the RFH-NPT, with a substantial agreement coefficient of 0.34. An association between NPI <41 cutoff and mortality were observed, with 82.1% of the sample below cutoff experiencing mortality within 12 mo.

CONCLUSIONS

The NPI is a valuable nutritional marker for the identification of nutritional risk in ACLD and is a simple and effective assessment tool that can aid in early CLD prognosis assessment. Validation, however, remains necessary in other CLD populations of different etiologies.

Association of systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) with risk of psoriasis: a cross-sectional analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2014

BACKGROUND

The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is an emerging marker of inflammation, and the onset of psoriasis is associated with inflammation. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential impact of SII on the incidence rate of adult psoriasis.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014 data sets. Multiple logistic regression analyses with appropriate covariates adjustment were the major methods in this study. Subgroup analyses were conducted by age, gender, race, smoking status, alcohol consumption, history of heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease and diabetes. Interactions among these variables were also detected. We further utilized smooth curve fitting to explore potential nonlinear associations between SII and psoriasis across different subgroups. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic value of SII for psoriasis in the general population and diabetic individuals. Multiple imputation was adopted as sensitivity analysis to address potential bias due to missing data.

RESULTS

9314 participants (≥ 20 years) were included. A significant positive association was observed between SII and psoriasis (OR = 1.56; P = 0.0069). Subgroup analysis revealed significant positive association in males (OR = 1.52; P = 0.0288), females (OR = 1.61; P = 0.0322), Non-Hispanic Whites (OR = 1.55; P = 0.0190), people aged 40-59 years (OR = 1.98; P = 0.0386), diabetics (OR = 3.40; P = 0.0088), and overweight participants (OR = 1.80; P = 0.0034). SII had a higher predictive value for psoriasis in diabetic patients (AUC = 0.62; 95% CI [0.55, 0.70]). In stroke patients, SII was negatively correlated with the occurrence of psoriasis, and interaction test suggested the effect of SII on psoriasis was significantly modified by stroke (P = 0.0003). Nonlinear relationships between SII and psoriasis were observed in participants aged 20 to 39, former smokers, current drinkers, individuals with or without heart attack, those without coronary heart disease, and overweight participants.

CONCLUSIONS

SII was positively associated with psoriasis. Testing for SII levels may help to identify the onset of psoriasis early.

The Prognostic Value of Peripheral Blood Inflammatory Markers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Lenvatinib Combined with PD-1 Inhibitors

Purpose

To investigate the prognostic value of inflammatory indexes based on peripheral blood cells in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with Lenvatinib combined with PD-1 inhibitors.

Methods

This study retrospectively collected baseline inflammatory indexes from HCC patients received Lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitor-based combination therapy at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between October 2018 and October 2021. The optimal threshold values for inflammatory indexes determined using X-tile. The factors related to treatment response and survival outcomes were analyzed through logistic regression and Cox regression, respectively. A novel preoperative prognostic nomogram was constructed based on inflammatory indexes, and the predictive efficacy of the nomogram and BCLC staging was compared by the area under the ROC curve.

Results

156 eligible patients with unresectable HCC were included, with median OS and PFS of 23.8 and 11.5 months, respectively, and ORR of 48.7%. The baseline SIRI was an independent factor of treatment response, with a significantly higher ORR for patients with a SIRI <0.8 than for patients with a SIRI ≥0.8 (59.7% vs 41.5%, P=0.03). SIRI and PNI were independent prognostic factors of PFS, and SIRI was an independent prognostic factor of OS. The AUC value of nomogram based on baseline SIRI, PNI, and tumor distribution in predicting the 6-,12- and 18-month PFS of patients was significantly higher than that of traditional BCLC stage, and its prediction performance was substantially better than that of BCLC stage system (C-index, 0.730 vs 0.535).

Conclusion

The baseline SIRI could be used as a potential non-invasive biomarker to predict the efficacy and survival benefit of immune combination therapy for HCC. The nomogram based on inflammation indexes could achieve better prediction performance and help clinicians to identify high-risk patients and formulate treatment plans.

Implications of prognostic nutritional index in predicting adverse outcomes of uncontrolled diabetic patients: a cohort study of the national health and nutrition examination survey from 2005 - 2018

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder with increasing prevalence and poor control rates, leading to adverse events. Prognostic nutritional value (PNI) has been identified as a protective factor in DM, but its role in uncontrolled DM remains unclear.

METHODS

This study based on the representative cohort of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2018. A total of 3,313 participants with uncontrolled DM were included in our analyses. PNI was calculated as 5×lymphocyte count (109/L)+ 10×serum albumin (g/L). The endpoints were DM-related and cardiovascular mortality, which were obtained from National Death Index. Univariable and multivariable cox proportional hazard regression were performed to investigate prognostic value of PNI.

RESULTS

Among 3,313 patients with uncontrolled DM (mean age of 61.75 ± 12.78 years, 53.4% male), PNI level was negatively associated with inflammatory markers and positively associated with metabolic markers of lipid and protein. During a median follow-up of 77 months, 247 DM-related deaths and 205 cardiovascular deaths occurred. Higher PNI levels independently predicted low DM-related (adjusted Hazard ratio [HR] = 0.872, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.840-0.906, P < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (adjusted HR = 0.872, 95% CI 0.834-0.912, P < 0.001). The prognostic value of PNI significantly varied across different DM treatment conditions, which was more pronounced in patients receiving antidiabetic treatments (adjusted HR: insulin + oral antidiabetic drugs [OADs]: 0.832; insulin: 0.863; OADs: 0.894, all adjusted P < 0.001), but was absent in those without antidiabetic treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

A higher PNI level is an independent protective predictor for DM-related and cardiovascular mortality in uncontrolled DM patients. Evaluation of PNI level in uncontrolled DM patients could conduce to stringent intervention. Improvement of PNI could enhance the effective of antidiabetic therapy, especially the insulin therapy, and reduce DM-related mortality.

Prognostic value of preoperative systemic immune-inflammation index/albumin for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing curative resection

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major factor for cancer-associated mortality globally. Although the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and albumin (ALB) show individual prognostic value for various cancers, their combined significance (SII/ALB) in HCC patients undergoing curative hepatectomy is still unknown. It is hypothesized that a higher SII/ALB ratio correlates with poorer outcomes with regard to overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).

AIM

To investigate the effect of preoperative SII/ALB in predicting the prognosis of HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy.

METHODS

Patients who received curative surgery for HCC at a single institution between 2014 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier curves were utilized to estimate OS and RFS. A nomogram was created using prognostic factors determined by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method and analyzed using multivariate Cox regression. This nomogram was assessed internally through the calibration plots, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, decision curve analysis (DCA) and the concordance index (C-index).

RESULTS

This study enrolled 1653 HCC patients. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that SII/ALB independently predicted OS [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.22, 95%CI: 1.03-1.46, P = 0.025] and RFS (HR = 1.19, 95%CI: 1.03-1.38, P = 0.022). Age, alpha-fetoprotein, hepatitis B surface antigen, albumin-bilirubin grade, tumor diameter, portal vein tumor thrombus, tumor number, and SII/ALB were incorporated into the nomogram to predict OS. The nomogram had a C-index of 0.73 (95%CI: 0.71-0.76) and 0.71 (95%CI: 0.67-0.74) for the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The area under the ROC curve, DCA and calibration curves demonstrated high accuracy and clinical benefits.

CONCLUSION

The SII/ALB may independently predict outcomes in HCC patients who receive curative surgical treatment. In addition, the nomogram can be used in HCC treatment decision-making.

Geriatric nutritional risk index as a predictor of major postoperative complications in emergency femoral hernia patients

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the prognostic values of GNRI for major postoperative complications in emergency femoral hernia patients.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 105 emergency femoral hernia patients. GNRI was calculated using preoperative body weight, height, and serum albumin. The primary outcome was a composite of major postoperative complications. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between GNRI and major complications. The ability of GNRI in detecting major complications was assessed by area under the curve (AUC).

RESULTS

The prevalence of low, moderate, and severe nutritional risk was 18.1%, 25.7%, and 10.5%. Five patients (4.8%) had major postoperative complications. Higher GNRI was associated with lower risk of major complications after adjusting for age and sex (aOR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.81-1.00, P = 0.044). The AUC for GNRI identifying major complications was 0.812 (95% CI: 0.640-0.984, P = 0.019), and the optimal cut-point value was 90.96 (sensitivity: 80.0%; specificity: 72.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

GNRI is significantly associated with major postoperative complications. It is a simple and useful prognostic tool for femoral hernia patients in emergency settings.

[Predictive Value of Prognostic Nutritional Index in Prognosis and Spontaneous Pleurodesis of Patients with Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Malignant Pleural Effusion]

BACKGROUND

A prognostic nutritional index (PNI) developed by nutritional status and inflammation are closely associated with poor prognosis in malignant tumors. However, the predictive impact of PNI in patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE) remains inconclusive. The study aimed to determine the predictive value of PNI in prognosis and spontaneous pleurodesis among patients with MPE.

METHODS

The patients diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with MPE in West China Hospital between January 2015 and December 2022 were reviewed and allocated randomly to development set(60%) and validation set(40%). After collecting clinical data, peripheral blood inflammation indices and calculating systemic inflammation indices, the effects of PNI on prognosis and spontaneous pleurodesis have been evaluated by Cox proportional hazards models, Kaplan-Meier method and Nelson-Aalen cumulative risk curve.

RESULTS

In total, 261 patients diagnosed NSCLC with MPE were selected (development set: n=157; validation set: n=104), of whom 58.2% were aged <65 years, 53.6% were male and 95.8% were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. The dichotomous cut-off value for PNI was 44.1, respectively. Compared with lower PNI (PNI<44.1) cases, patients with higher PNI (PNI≥44.1) showed significantly longer overall survival (36.5 vs 24.3 mon, P=0.02) and higher incidence of spontaneous pleurodesis (P=0.009). According to the multivariate Cox analysis, higher PNI was associated with good prognosis and successful spontaneous pleurodesis (P<0.05). According to the results of Cox regression analysis, the PNI-prognosis and PNI-spontaneous pleurodesis models are determined, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are drawn, and the area under the curves (AUC) value of development set are 0.694 (95%CI: 0.620-0.776) and 0.673 (95%CI: 0.590-0.737).

CONCLUSIONS

PNI is a reliable biomarker of prognosis and spontaneous pleurodesis in patients with MPE. Attention to the patient's nutritional status and inflammation may improve the prognosis and efficacy of pleural effusion.

Prognostic Effect of the PNI and LSR in Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Receiving Radiotherapy

PURPOSE

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) has been used to assess the immunonutritional status of cancer patients and can predict the prognosis of various solid cancers, and the serum alanine transaminase (ALT)/aspartate transaminase (AST) ratio (LSR) is considered a good predictor of liver injury. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients and LSR or PNI, as well as to combine these two indicators (LSR-PNI) for further prognostic analysis in ESCC patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT).

METHODS

In this study, 134 patients with esophageal cancer were retrospectively analyzed. The Chi-square test was utilized to compare count data, and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were employed to identify independent risk and prognostic factors. Additionally, the combination of LSR and PNI (LSR-PNI) was analyzed.

RESULTS

This study included a cohort of 134 patients, comprising 105 males with a mean age of 70.7 years and 29 females with a mean age of 76.3 years. Pathological examination categorized 41 cases as stage I-II and 93 cases as stage III-IV. The predominant treatment modality administered was intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for esophageal cancer. Of these patients, 96 received radiation doses ≤ 54 Gy, while 38 were administered doses > 54 Gy. Radiation-induced adverse effects were observed in 67 patients, with the remaining 67 showing no such effects. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that elevated levels of the lymphocyte-to-serum ratio (LSR) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were significantly correlated with improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The high-LSR group demonstrated longer PFS (14.4 vs. 9.3 months, p = 0.0469) and OS (19.9 vs. 13.7 months, p = 0.0315) compared to the low-LSR group, with respective 3-year survival rates of 18.4% vs. 12.7%. Similarly, patients in the high-PNI group exhibited superior PFS (13.9 vs. 8.9 months, p = 0.0071) and OS (19.0 vs. 13.5 months, p = 0.0002) compared to the low-PNI group, with 3-year survival rates of 19.6% vs. 11.3%. Stratification based on combined LSR and PNI levels categorized patients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups. The low-risk group demonstrated significantly better PFS (17.8 vs. 10.1 vs. 8.2 months) and OS (24.1 vs. 14.3 vs. 12.9 months, p < 0.0001) compared to the intermediate- and high-risk groups, with 3-year survival rates of 24%, 14%, and 10.3%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Pretreatment LSR and PNI can serve as independent prognostic predictors for patients, with higher values of both being associated with improved progression-free survival and overall survival. Additionally, the combined LSR-PNI score effectively stratifies patients into distinct risk groups, offering a robust tool for predicting outcomes in clinical practice.

Predictive value of systemic immune-inflammatory biomarkers for drug-induced liver injury in hepatitis B virus surface antigen positive tuberculosis patients: A retrospective observational study

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a major concern in tuberculosis (TB) treatment. For early detection of DILI, immune-inflammatory biomarkers are needed for better management. To explore the predictive effect of systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) combined with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), eosinophil (EOS%), and CD4/CD8 on DILI occurrence in TB patients with HBsAg positive. This is a retrospective study enrolling patients who were treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs and infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the Guangzhou Chest Hospital from 2018 to 2023. Population demographics and clinical data of 2643 patients were collected by reviewing electronic medical records. Using a propensity score matching model, the study ultimately included 516 patients (258 patients with DILI and 258 patients without DILI). Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the predictive role of systemic immune-inflammatory biomarkers (SII, NLR, MLR, EOS%, and CD4/CD8) in DILI in hepatitis B virus surface antigen-positive TB patients (HBV-TB-DILI). As compared to patients without DILI, patients with DILI have elevated levels of systemic immune-inflammatory biomarkers (SII, NLR, MLR, EOS%, and CD4/CD8), (all P < .05). The SII, NLR, MLR, PLR, EOS%, and CD4/CD8 are risk factors of HBV-TB-DILI. The NLR, MLR, SII, and EOS% were positively correlated with liver function (P < .001). The combination of SII, NLR, MLR, EOS%, and CD4/CD8 demonstrated good predictive performance for DILI occurrence in HBV-TB patients. The combination of SII, NLR, MLR, EOS%, and CD4/CD8 demonstrated good predictive performance for DILI occurrence in HBV-TB patients.

Relationship between prognostic nutritional index and post-stroke cognitive impairment

BACKGROUND

The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) has been described as a useful screening tool for patient prognosis in several diseases. As a potential diagnostic index, it has attracted the interest of many physicians. However, the correlation between the PNI and post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) remains unclear.

METHODS

A total of 285 patients with acute ischemic stroke were included. PNI was assessed as serum albumin (g/L) + 5× lymphocyte count (109/L) and was dichotomized according to the prespecified cut-off points 48.43 for the high and low groups. PSCI was defined as Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) < 27 at the 6-10 months follow-up. Multiple logistic regression and linear regression analyses were performed to examine the association between PNI and cognitive outcomes.

RESULTS

A low PNI was independently associated with PSCI after adjusting for age, sex, education, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), deep white matter hyperintensity (DWMH), and stroke history (odds ratio [OR]: 2.158; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.205-3.863). The PNI scores were significantly associated with MMSE and attention domain (β = 0.113, p = 0.006; β = 0.109, p = 0.041, respectively). The PNI improved the model's discrimination when added to the model with other clinical risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

A low PNI was independently associated with the occurrence of PSCI and the PNI scores were specifically associated with the scores of global cognition and attention domain. It can be a promising and straightforward screening indicator to identify the person with impaired immune-nutritional status at higher risk of PSCI.

Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) as an Independent Predictor of 3-Year Postoperative Mortality in Elderly Patients with Hip Fracture: A Post hoc Analysis of a Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) has been reported as a significant predictor in various diseases. However, the prognostic value of the PNI in geriatric hip fracture patients has not been thoroughly evaluated. This study aimed to investigate the association between admission PNI and 3-year mortality in those patients.

METHODS

In this post hoc analysis, we included patients aged ≥65 years who underwent surgery for hip fracture between 2018 and 2019. The admission PNI was calculated as serum albumin (g/L) +5 × total lymphocyte count (×109/L). Patients were categorized into four groups based on PNI quartiles (≤ 43.55, 43.55-46.55, 46.55-49.20, and >49.20, respectively). The median follow-up duration was 3.1 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was conducted for using PNI to predict mortality.

RESULTS

Of the 942 eligible patients, 190 (20.2%) patients died during the follow-up. Compared to patients in the first quartile (Q1), those in the second (Q2), third (Q3), and fourth (Q4) quartiles had significantly lower mortality risks (HRs 0.50, 95% CI 0.35-0.74; 0.41, 95% CI 0.26-0.64; and 0.26, 95% CI 0.15-0.45, respectively). The optimal cutoff of PNI for predicting mortality was set as 45.275 (sensitivity, 0.674; specificity, 0.692; area under the curve (AUC), 0.727). Patients with higher PNI (>45.275) had a significant lower mortality risk (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.28-0.55) compared to those with lower PNI (≤ 45.275).

CONCLUSION

PNI is a reliable and independent predictor of 3-year mortality after hip fracture surgery in the elderly.

Preoperative prognostic nutritional index and systemic immune inflammation index for predicting the efficacy and survival time of patients with osteosarcoma undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with surgery

OBJECTIVE

To explore the value of preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and systemic immune inflammation index (SII) for predicting the efficacy and prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) combined with surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted on patients with osteosarcoma undergoing NACT combined with surgery in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from January 2017 to May 2019. The patients were grouped into a remission group (pCR group, 85 patients) and a non-remission group (non-pCR, 79 patients), according to the treatment efficacy. The pathological data as well as clinical data were collected from patients, which were subsequently employed for statistical analysis to determine the factors affecting the efficacy of the treatment. The diagnostic value of PNI and SII for predicting the efficacy were assessed through following up the patients for 5 years to observe their overall survival rate. COX regression analysis was leveraged to identify risk factors affecting the survival time. The impact of different PNI and SII levels on the survival time was observed.

RESULTS

Multivariate regression analysis showed that factors including Enneking stage, PNI level and SII level were in association with poor efficacy after NATC combined with surgery. The mortality within 5 years was higher and the 5-year overall survival rate was lower in the non-pCR group than those in the pCR group (both P < 0.05). The COX regression analysis indicated that PNI and SII levels were risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma following NACT combined with surgery. Further analysis showed that patients with low PNI and high SII levels had a lower 5-year survival rate (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Enneking stage, PNI, and SII levels were risk factors for poor efficacy in patients with osteosarcoma after NACT combined with surgery. Patients whose PNI level was low and SII level was high presented poor prognosis following the treatment.

Incorporating ALBI Grade with Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index Enhances Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk Stratification

Introduction: Despite its prognostic impact, nutritional status has not yet been integrated into the assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study investigated the association between geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and overall survival (OS) in patients with HCC using a nationwide registry. Methods: Data from the Korea Central Cancer Registry between 2008 and 2019 were analyzed. We explored the integration of the GNRI with the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade for prognostic stratification. Restricted cubic spline regression was used to assess the association between GNRI and survival, stratified by ALBI grade. Results: Among the 16,416 treatment-naïve HCC patients, the ALBI grades were distributed as follows: grade 1, 7,409; grade 2, 7,445; and grade 3, 1,562. Patients were categorized according to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages: 5,132 stage 0/A, 2,608 stage B, 5,289 stage C, and 968 stage D. The median OS for all patients was 3.1 years (95% CI: 3.0–3.2) and significantly differed with the inclusion of ALBI grade and GNRI (p < 0.001). The effect of combining ALBI grade and GNRI was further evaluated for each BCLC stage. This risk stratification showed a significant correlation with OS for each BCLC stage (all p < 0.001), except for stage D (p = 0.082). Multivariate analysis revealed that a combination of favorable ALBI grade and high GNRI score was independently associated with decreased mortality risk. Conclusion: The GNRI was significantly correlated with OS across ALBI grades and BCLC stages. Integrating the GNRI into the ALBI grade may enhance risk stratification for patients with HCC.

Prognostic Evaluation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus Patients Treated with Transarterial Chemoembolization Plus Molecular Targeted Therapies-Development and Validation of the ABPS Score

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus molecular targeted therapies has emerged as the main approach for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). A robust model for outcome prediction and risk stratification of recommended TACE plus molecular targeted therapies candidates is lacking. We aimed to develop an easy-to-use tool specifically for these patients.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 384 patients with HCC and PVTT who underwent TACE plus molecular targeted therapies at 16 different institutions. We developed and validated a new prognostic score which called ABPS score. Additionally, an external validation was performed on data from 200 patients enrolled in a prospective cohort study.

RESULTS

The ABPS score (ranging from 0 to 3 scores), which involves only Albumin-bilirubin (ALBI, grade 1: 0 score; grade 2: 1 score), PVTT(I-II type: 0 score; III-IV type: 1 score), and systemic-immune inflammation index (SII,<550 × 1012: 0 score; ≥550 × 1012: 1 score). Patients were categorized into three risk groups based on their ABPS score: ABPS-A, B, and C (scored 0, 1-2, and 3, respectively). The concordance index (C-index) of the ABPS scoring system was calculated to be 0.802, significantly outperforming the HAP score (0.758), 6-12 (0.712), Up to 7 (0.683), and ALBI (0.595) scoring systems (all P < 0.05). These research findings were further validated in the external validation cohorts.

CONCLUSION

The ABPS score demonstrated a strong association with survival outcomes and radiological response in patients undergoing TACE plus molecular targeted therapy for HCC with PVTT. The ABPS scoring system could serve as a valuable tool to guide treatment selection for these patients.

Indices and ferritin level that predict organ involvement in adult-onset Still's disease

Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate whether C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR), lactate dehydrogenase to albumin ratio (LAR), ferritin to erythrocyte sedimentation rate ratio (FER), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), prognostic nutritional index (PNI) indices and ferritin level can predict organ involvement in adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) patients.Methods: This study was planned as a cross-sectional study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the usefulness of ferritin level and inflammatory indices in defining organ involvement.Results: Sixty-one patients diagnosed with AOSD were included in this study. Multivariate logistic regression analyzes showed that LAR (OR 1.028, 95% CI: 1.011-1.044) (p = 0.001) index predicted lymphadenopathy involvement, CAR (OR 1.249, 95% CI: 1.087-1.435) (p = 0.002) index predicted hepatomegaly involvement, ferritin level (OR 1.004, 95% CI: 1.001-1.008) (p = 0.007) predicted splenomegaly involvement, FER (OR 1.085, 95% CI: 1.012-1.164) (p = 0.021) and PNI (OR 0.271, 95% CI: 1.132-0.553) (p < 0.001) index predicted the occurrence of serositis.Conclusion: This study showed that ferritin level, CAR, FER, PNI and LAR markers may predict organ involvement at diagnosis in AOSD patients.

The role of cholesterol-modified prognostic nutritional index in nutritional status assessment and predicting survival after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma

Malnutrition, which is often underestimated in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has a proven adverse effect on survival rates. The purpose of this study was to verify the effectiveness of the cholesterol-modified prognostic nutritional index (CPNI) in determining the nutritional status and predicting overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with HCC by comparing it with several other nutritional indicators. This retrospective single-center study enrolled 1450 consecutive HCC patients who underwent curative liver resection from January 2015 to November 2019. We evaluated the prognostic significance of several nutritional indicators, including CPNI, the controlling nutritional status (CONUT), the nutritional risk index (NRI), and the prognostic nutritional index (PNI), by applying time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Among several objective nutrition evaluations (including CPNI, CONUT, NRI, and PNI), CPNI demonstrated the greatest prognostic predictive power for predicting OS. Meanwhile, CPNI demonstrated marginally higher accuracy in predicting RFS compared to PNI, and significantly outperformed CONUT and NRI. Univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that CPNI was an independent risk factor for the OS and RFS of patients with HCC undergoing curative liver resection. In most subgroups, malnutrition as identified by CPNI demonstrates strong stratification ability in predicting both OS and RFS. CPNI serves as an accurate and stable instrument for evaluating nutritional status and forecasting survival outcomes in HCC patients following liver resection, which has the potential to markedly influence clinical decision-making processes and the management of patient care.

Associations of prognostic nutritional index with risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortalities in persons with gestational diabetes mellitus: A NHANES-based analysis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate relationships between prognostic nutritional index (PNI) during pregnancy and risk of all-cause mortality (ACM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in persons with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted using NHANES data from 2007 to 2018, and weighted Cox regression models were established. Restricted cubic spline analysis was used to unveil associations of PNI with risk of ACM and CVD mortalities in individuals with GDM. Receiver operating characteristic curve was employed for determination of threshold value for association of PNI with mortality. Sensitivity analysis was performed to verify the stability of the results.

RESULTS

734 GDM individuals and 7987 non-GDM individuals were included in this study. In GDM population, after adjusting for different categorical variables, PNI was significantly negatively correlated with ACM risk. Subgroup analysis showed that among GDM populations with no physical activity, moderate physical activity, parity of 1 or 2, negative correlation between PNI and risk of ACM was stronger than other subgroups. Sensitivity analysis results showed stable negative correlations between PNI and ACM and CVD mortality of total population, and between PNI and ACM of GDM.

CONCLUSION

In individuals with GDM, PNI was negatively correlated with ACM risk, especially in populations with no physical activity, moderate physical activity, and parity of 1 or 2. PNI = 50.75 may be an effective threshold affecting ACM risk in GDM, which may help in risk assessment and timely intervention for individuals with GDM.

Value of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Combined with Immune-Inflammatory Markers in Predicting Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis of Breast Cancer

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) combined with immune-inflammatory markers in predicting axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM) in breast cancer patients.

METHODS

From January 2020 to June 2023, the clinicopathological data and ultrasound features of 401 breast cancer patients who underwent biopsy or surgery were recorded. Patients were randomly divided into a training set (321 patients) and a validation set (80 patients). The risk factors for ALNM were determined using univariate, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate logistic regression analysis, and prediction models were constructed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess their diagnostic performance.

RESULTS

Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that systemic immunoinflammatory index (SII), CA125, Ki67, pathological type, lesion size, enhancement pattern and Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category were significant risk factors for ALNM. Three different models were constructed, and the combined model yielded an AUC of 0.903, which was superior to the clinical model (AUC=0.790) and ultrasound model (AUC=0.781). A nomogram was constructed based on the combined model, calibration curves and DCA demonstrated its satisfactory performance in predicting ALNM.

CONCLUSION

The nomogram combining ultrasound features and immune-inflammatory markers could serve as a valuable instrument for predicting ALNM in breast cancer patients.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.

Performance of nutritional and inflammatory markers in patients with pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Systemic inflammation and nutrition play pivotal roles in cancer progression and can increase the risk of delayed recovery after surgical procedures.

AIM

To assess the significance of inflammatory and nutritional indicators for the prognosis and postoperative recovery of patients with pancreatic cancer (PC).

METHODS

Patients who were diagnosed with PC and underwent surgical resection at our hospital between January 1, 2019, and July 31, 2023, were enrolled in this retrospective observational cohort study. All the data were collected from the electronic medical record system. Seven biomarkers - the albumin-to-globulin ratio, prognostic nutritional index (PNI), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), nutritional risk index (NRI), and geriatric NRI were assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 446 patients with PC met the inclusion criteria and were subsequently enrolled. Patients with early postoperative discharge tended to have higher PNI values and lower SII, NLR, and PLR values (all P < 0.05). Through multivariable logistic regression analysis, the SII value emerged as an independent risk factor influencing early recovery after surgery. Additionally, both univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses revealed that the PNI value was the strongest prognostic marker for overall survival (OS; P = 0.028) and recurrence-free survival (RFS; P < 0.001). The optimal cutoff PNI value was established at 47.30 using X-tile software. Patients in the PNI-high group had longer OS (P < 0.001) and RFS (P = 0.0028) times than those in the PNI-low group.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative systemic inflammatory-nutritional biomarkers may be capable of predicting short-term recovery after surgery as well as long-term patient outcomes.

Association Apo B/Apo a-1 Ratio and Prognostic Nutritional Index with 90-Day Outcomes of Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background

The relationship between insulin resistance-related indices and the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is still unclear. This study aimed to explore the association between the Apo B/Apo A-1 ratio and the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) with the 90-day outcomes of AIS.

Methods

A total of 2011 AIS patients with a 3-month follow-up were enrolled in the present study from January 2017 to July 2021. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was performed to analyze the relationship between Apo B/Apo A-1 ratio, PNI, and AIS poor outcomes. The mediating effect between the three was analyzed using the Bootstrap method with PNI as the mediating variable.

Results

Among the 2011 included AIS patients, 20.3% had a poor outcome. Patients were categorized according to quartiles of Apo B/Apo A-1 ratio and PNI. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that the fourth Apo B/Apo A-1 ratio quartile had poorer outcomes than the first quartile (OR 1.75,95%CL 1.21-2.53, P=0.003), and the fourth PNI quartile exhibited a lower risk of poor outcomes than the first quartile (OR 0.40, 95%CL 0.27-0.61, P<0.001). PNI displayed a significant partially mediating effect (21.4%) between the Apo B/Apo A-1 ratio and poor AIS outcomes.

Conclusion

The Apo B/Apo A-1 ratio is a risk factor for poor AIS outcomes, whereas PNI acts as a protective factor. The association between the ApoB/ApoA-1 ratio and poor AIS outcomes was partially mediated by PNI.

Association between the systemic immune-inflammation index and obesity among adults: Insights from the NHANES 2017-2018

BACKGROUND

Inflammation is an important causative factor of obesity. This study aimed to explore the possible association between the systemic immune-inflammatory index, a novel indicator of inflammation, and obesity.

METHODS

Data were collected from 4395 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2018 aged ≥ 20 years. The systemic immune-inflammatory index was calculated by multiplying the platelet count by the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2.

RESULTS

A significant positive correlation was observed between the systemic immune-inflammatory index and body mass index following multivariate linear regression analysis (β = 1.75; 95% confidence interval = 1.16-2.33), which was greatest in adults aged < 60 years without hypertension and diabetes. Smoothed curve fitting and threshold effect analysis were used to characterize the nonlinear association between the systemic immune-inflammatory index and body mass index, and the inflection point was found to be 729.3.

CONCLUSIONS

The systemic immune-inflammatory index is positively associated with body mass index among adults in the United States and has the potential to enhance efforts to prevent adult obesity.

Investigation of biomarkers to predict outcomes in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

BACKGROUND

Various biomarkers have been developed and evaluated to predict the prognosis and complications of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Most previous studies conducted on different biomarkers evaluated single effects such as those associated with inflammation, immunology, iron metabolism, and nutrition, and only a few studies have comprehensively analyzed markers.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to survey comprehensive multiple markers prior to HCT and extract those that significantly predict the outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN

A prospective multicenter observational study was performed. (UMIN000013506) Patients undergoing HCT for hematologic diseases were consecutively enrolled. Besides the usual clinical biomarkers, serum samples for extra-clinical biomarkers were collected and cryopreserved before starting the conditioning regimen. A total of 32 candidate biomarkers were selected, 23 from hematology, biochemistry, immunology, nutrition, and iron metabolism, and 9 from composite markers. Based on the area under the curve (AUC) values for survival, promising biomarkers was extracted. Internal validation for these markers was applied based on bootstrap methods. Setting the cut-off values for them, log-rank test was applied and outcomes including overall survival (OS), relapse, and non-relapse mortality (NRM) were evaluated using multivariate analyses. Furthermore, detailed analysis including transplant-related complications and external validation were conducted focusing on C-reactive protein (CRP) to platelet (Plt) ratio.

RESULTS

A total of 152 patients with hematologic malignancies were enrolled from April 2014 to March 2017. CRP, soluble interleukin-2 receptor (IL2R), CRP to albumin (Alb) ratio, CRP to Plt ratio, Plt to IL2R ratio, and IL2R to Alb ratio were identified as promising markers. Internal validation successfully confirmed their reliability of AUC and multivariate analysis demonstrated the statistical significance between the higher and the lower markers. Above all, a higher CRP to Plt ratio was significantly associated with a lower OS (hazard ratio [HR] 2.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30-5.91; P = 0.008) and higher non-relapse mortality rates (HR 2.79; 95%CI 1.14-6.80; P = 0.024) at 180 days. Furthermore, univariate analysis showed that a higher CRP to Plt ratio was significantly associated with a higher incidence of sinusoidal obstructive syndrome (P < 0.001) and bloodstream infection (P = 0.027). An external validation test confirmed the significance of the CRP to Plt ratio for these outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The multicenter prospective observational study successfully identified significant biomarkers in patients with hematologic malignancies who received HCT. In particular, CRP to Plt ratio was identified as a novel and useful biomarker for predicting transplant outcomes. Further investigations are needed to validate the novel markers, analysis of the pathophysiology, and application to treatment settings other than HCT.

Analysis of preoperative nutrition, immunity and inflammation correlation index on the prognosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma surgical patients: a retrospective single center study

BACKGROUND

SII, PNI, SIRI, AAPR, and LIPI are prognostic scores based on inflammation, nutrition, and immunity. The purpose of this study was to examine the prognostic value of the SII, PNI, SIRI, AAPR, and LIPI in patients with UTUC who underwent radical nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data of UTUC patients in Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 were collected. The optimal critical values of SII, PNI, SIRI, and AAPR were determined by ROC curve, and LIPI was stratified according to the dNLR and LDH. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the survival curve, and Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the factors affecting the prognosis of UTUC patients.

RESULTS

A total of 81 patients with UTUC were included in this study. The optimal truncation value of PNI, SII, SIRI and AAPR were determined to be 48.15, 596.4, 1.45 and 0.50, respectively. Univariate Cox proportional hazard regression showed that low PNI, high SII, high SIRI, low AAPR and poor LIPI group were effective predictors of postoperative prognosis of UTUC patients. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression showed that high SII was an independent risk factor for postoperative prognosis of UTUC patients. According to ROC curve, the prediction efficiency of fitting indexes of PNI, SII, SIRI, AAPR and LIPI is better than that of using them alone.

CONCLUSIONS

The SII, PNI, SIRI, AAPR, and LIPI was a potential prognostic predictor in UTUC patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision.

Decoding the Prognostic Significance and Therapeutic Implications of Inflammation-Based Scores in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Comprehensive Review

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer, posing a significant global health challenge with an increasing incidence. In recent years, multiple staging systems and scores have been proposed, emphasising the necessity for the development of precise prognostic tools. The well-documented etiological relationship between chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis has prompted researchers to explore novel prognostic markers associated with the inflammatory status of HCC patients. This review summarises the current data about inflammation-based scores in the context of HCC. We discuss established scores like the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), modified GPS (mGPS) and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and others not as extensively studied, examining their utility in predicting survival outcomes and treatment response in HCC patients. Furthermore, we explore emerging scores, including the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and other lymphocyte-based scores, assessing their potential in refining risk stratification and guiding therapeutic decisions in the era of precision medicine. As research progresses and these scores undergo further refinement and integration into the evolving landscape of HCC management, they carry significant potential for improving patient outcomes.

Constructing a prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma based on bioinformatics analysis of inflammation-related genes

Background

This study aims to screen inflammation-related genes closely associated with the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to accurately forecast the prognosis of HCC patients.

Methods

Gene expression matrices and clinical information for liver cancer samples were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). An intersection of differentially expressed genes of HCC and normal and GeneCards yielded inflammation-related genes associated with HCC. Cox regression and the minor absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis to filter genes associated with HCC prognosis. The prognostic value of the model was confirmed by drawing Kaplan-Meier and ROC curves. Select differentially expressed genes between the high-risk and low-risk groups and perform GO and KEGG pathways analyses. CIBERSORT analysis was conducted to assess associations of risk models with immune cells and verified using real-time qPCR.

Results

A total of six hub genes (C3, CTNNB1, CYBC1, DNASE1L3, IRAK1, and SERPINE1) were selected using multivariate Cox regression to construct a prognostic model. The validation evaluation of the prognostic model showed that it has an excellent ability to predict prognosis. A line plot was drawn to indicate the HCC patients' survival, and the calibration curve revealed satisfactory predictability. Among the six hub genes, C3 and DNASE1L3 are relatively low expressed in HCCLM3 and 97H liver cancer cell lines, while CTNNB1, CYBC1, IRAK1, and SERPINE1 are relatively overexpressed in liver cancer cell lines.

Conclusion

One new inflammatory factor-associated prognostic model was constructed in this study. The risk score can be an independent predictor for judging the prognosis of HCC patients' survival.

The Value of the Nutritional Indicators in Predicting Free Flap Failure From a Multicentre Database

OBJECTIVE

Nutritional and inflammatory statuses have been associated with complications in microvascular-free flaps during head and neck surgeries. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of nutritional indicators in predicting postoperative free flap complications.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a 20-year retrospective, case-control study within a defined cohort.

SETTING

The study involved head and neck cancer patients from the Chang Gung Research Database who underwent simultaneous tumor ablation and free flap wound reconstruction between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2019.

METHODS

We employed logistic regression and stratified analysis to assess the risk of free flap complications and the subsequent need for flap revision or redo in relation to nutritional indicators and other clinical variables.

RESULTS

Of the 8066 patients analyzed, 687 (8.5%) experienced free flap complications. Among these, 197 (2.4%) had free flap failures necessitating a redo of either a free flap or a pedicled flap. Beyond comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, end-stage renal disease, and a history of prior radiotherapy, every 10-unit decrease in the preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI) was consistently associated with an increased risk of both free flap complications and failure. The covariate-adjusted odds ratios were 1.90 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.42-2.54) and 1.89 (95% CI: 1.13-3.17), respectively.

CONCLUSION

A lower preoperative PNI suggests a higher likelihood of microvascular free flap complications in head and neck surgeries. Further randomized controlled trial designs are required to establish causality.

Conventional and machine learning-based risk scores for patients with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The performance of machine learning (ML) in predicting the outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains uncertain. We aimed to develop risk scores using conventional methods and ML to categorize early-stage HCC patients into distinct prognostic groups.

METHODS

The study retrospectively enrolled 1,411 consecutive treatment-naïve patients with the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0 to A HCC from 2012 to 2021. The patients were randomly divided into a training cohort (n=988) and validation cohort (n=423). Two risk scores (CATS-IF and CATS-INF) were developed to predict overall survival (OS) in the training cohort using the conventional methods (Cox proportional hazards model) and ML-based methods (LASSO Cox regression), respectively. They were then validated and compared in the validation cohort.

RESULTS

In the training cohort, factors for the CATS-IF score were selected by the conventional method, including age, curative treatment, single large HCC, serum creatinine and alpha-fetoprotein levels, fibrosis-4 score, lymphocyte-tomonocyte ratio, and albumin-bilirubin grade. The CATS-INF score, determined by ML-based methods, included the above factors and two additional ones (aspartate aminotransferase and prognostic nutritional index). In the validation cohort, both CATS-IF score and CATS-INF score outperformed other modern prognostic scores in predicting OS, with the CATSINF score having the lowest Akaike information criterion value. A calibration plot exhibited good correlation between predicted and observed outcomes for both scores.

CONCLUSION

Both the conventional Cox-based CATS-IF score and ML-based CATS-INF score effectively stratified patients with early-stage HCC into distinct prognostic groups, with the CATS-INF score showing slightly superior performance.

Prognostic value of systemic immune-inflammation index/albumin ratio for immunotherapy-treated patients receiving opioids

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the effect of the systemic immune-inflammation index/albumin ratio (SII/ALB) on the prognosis of immunotherapy-treated patients receiving opioids.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted of 185 immunotherapy-treated patients who received opioids at Xuzhou Central Hospital from 01/09/2021 to 01/09/2023. The results of related clinical data were collected during the week before the cancer patients received immunotherapy. The SII/ALB cut-off value was determined, and the relationship between the SII/ALB and clinical pathological parameters was analyzed using the chi-square test. The effect of the SII/ALB on progression-free survival (PFS) was examined using Kaplan-Meier curves and the Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULT

The SII/ALB cut-off value was 20.86, and patients were divided into low (SII/ALB ≤ 20.86) and high (SII/ALB > 20.86) SII/ALB groups. Adverse reactions (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.108; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.061-0.192, P < 0.001) and the SII/ALB (HR = 0.093; 95% CI: 0.057-0.151, P < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors for PFS. Compared with the high SII/ALB group, the low SII/ALB group had longer PFS after opioid treatment (12.2 vs. 5.2 months, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The SII/ALB is a potentially important prognostic parameter in immunotherapy-treated patients receiving opioids.

Preoperative prognostic nutritional index predicts long-term outcomes of patients with ampullary adenocarcinoma after curative pancreatoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), a marker of immune-nutrition balance, has predictive value for the survival and prognosis of patients with various cancers.

AIM

To explore the clinical significance of the preoperative PNI on the prognosis of ampullary adenocarcinoma (AC) patients who underwent curative pancreaticoduodenectomy.

METHODS

The data concerning 233 patients diagnosed with ACs were extracted and analyzed at our institution from January 1998 to December 2020. All patients were categorized into low and high PNI groups based on the cutoff value determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. We compared disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) between these groups and assessed prognostic factors through univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

The optimal cutoff value for the PNI was established at 45.3. Patients with a PNI ≥ 45.3 were categorized into the PNI-high group, while those with a PNI < 45.3 were assigned to the PNI-low group. Patients within the PNI-low group tended to be of advanced age and exhibited higher levels of aspartate transaminase and total bilirubin and a lower creatinine level than were those in the PNI-high group. The 5-year OS rates for patients with a PNI ≥ 45.3 and a PNI < 45.3 were 61.8% and 43.4%, respectively, while the 5-year DFS rates were 53.5% and 38.3%, respectively. Patients in the PNI- low group had shorter OS (P = 0.006) and DFS (P = 0.012). In addition, multivariate analysis revealed that the PNI, pathological T stage and pathological N stage were found to be independent prognostic factors for both OS and DFS.

CONCLUSION

The PNI is a straightforward and valuable marker for predicting long-term survival after pancreatoduodenectomy. The PNI should be incorporated into the standard assessment of patients with AC.

Establishment of a prognostic nomogram for elderly patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer receiving radiotherapy

The present study explored the risk factors associated with radiotherapy in seniors diagnosed with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) to construct and validate a prognostic nomogram. The study retrospectively included 137 elderly patients with LS-SCLC who previously received radiotherapy. Univariate and multivariate COX analyses were conducted to identify independent risk factors and determine optimal cut-off values. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and nomograms were constructed to predict survival. Calibration and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the accuracy and consistency of the nomogram. Illness rating scale-geriatric (CIRS-G) score, treatment strategy, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), white blood cell-to-monocyte ratio (WMR), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were discovered to be independent prognostic factors. Based on the findings of our multivariate analysis, a risk nomogram was developed to assess patient prognosis. Internal bootstrap resampling was utilized to validate the model, and while the accuracy of the AUC curve at 1 year was modest at 0.657 (95% CI 0.458-0.856), good results were achieved in predicting 3- and 5 year survival with AUCs of 0.757 (95% CI 0.670-0.843) and 0.768 (95% CI 0.643-0.893), respectively. Calibration curves for 1-, 3-, and 5 year overall survival probabilities demonstrated good cocsistency between expected and actual outcomes. Patients with concurrent chemoradiotherapy, CIRS-G score > 5 points and low PNI, WMR and LMR correlated with poor prognosis. The nomogram model developed based on these factors demonstrated good predictive performance and provides a simple, accessible, and practical tool for clinicians to guide clinical decision-making and study design.

A Novel Nomogram to Predict Prognosis of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Plus Anti-PD1

Purpose

The combination of radiotherapy and monoclonal antibody against programmed cell death 1 (anti-PD1) showed preliminary efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to identify the prognostic factors and construct a nomogram to predict the overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced HCC after treatment with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plus anti-PD1.

Patients and Methods

The OS and progression-free survival (PFS) of 102 patients with BCLC stage C HCC was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Potential independent prognostic factors were determined using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. A nomogram was established to predict prognosis whose accuracy and reliability was verified by a calibration curve and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC).

Results

The median PFS and OS rates of the 102 patients with advanced HCC were 9.9 months and 14.3 months, respectively. Ninety-three patients were evaluated for efficacy, including five (5.38%) with complete response and 48 (51.61%) with partial response, with an overall response rate of 56.99%. Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions (AEs) were observed in 32.35% of patients; no grade 5 AEs occurred. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed albumin and alpha-fetoprotein levels, neutrophil counts 3-4 weeks after IMRT initiation, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio 3-4 weeks after IMRT initiation to be independent prognostic factors. The nomogram model constructed using these factors had good consistency and accuracy with 1-3 years AUROC of 78.7, 78.6, and 93.5, respectively.

Conclusion

IMRT plus anti-PD1 showed promising efficacy and controllable adverse reactions in treating advanced HCC. The nomogram model demonstrated good reliability and clinical applicability.

A novel nomogram based on inflammation biomarkers for predicting radiation cystitis in patients with local advanced cervical cancer

BACKGROUNDS

Platelet-to-albumin ratio (PAR) is a new systemic inflammatory prognostic indicator associated with many inflammatory diseases. However, its role in radiation cystitis (RC) is obscure. This study aimed to explore whether PAR could be used as an effective parameter for predicting the RC risk in local advanced cervical cancer (CC) treated with radiotherapy.

METHODS

A total of 319 local advanced CC patients who received radical radiotherapy at Fujian Cancer Hospital were enrolled between December 2018 and January 2021. Demographics and clinical parameters were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify the risk factors for RC. Backward and stepwise regression was applied to construct two monograms-one with primary significant factors and the other with extra inflammatory biomarkers. A DeLong test was applied to compare the prediction abilities of two nomograms. Calibration curves and decision curve analysis (DCA) evaluated its prediction consistency, discrimination ability, and clinical net benefit.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis showed that age, tumor size, stage, total radiation dose, pelvic radiation dose, Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and PAR were significantly associated with RC occurrence (all p < 0.05). Multivariate analyses indicated that age, tumor size, stage, total radiation dose, and PAR were independent factors (all p < 0.05). Then, the area under curve (AUC) value of the nomogramSII+PAR was higher (AUC = 0.774) compared to that of the baseline nomogram (AUC = 0.726) (pDelong = 0.02). Also, the five-cross validation confirmed the stability of the nomogramSII+PAR. Moreover, the calibration curve and DCA exhibited the nomograms' good prediction consistency and clinical practicability.

CONCLUSIONS

PAR and SII could be valued for CC patients who are treated with radiation therapy. The nomogram based on PAR and SII could stratify patients who need extra intervention and nursing care to prevent bladder radiation damage and improve patients' quality of life.

The correlation between systemic inflammatory markers and efficiency for advanced gastric cancer patients treated with ICIs combined with chemotherapy

Currently lacking research to explore the correlation between inflammatory markers and the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. This study is a retrospective study and included patients with advanced gastric cancer who receiving ICIs combined with chemotherapy from January 2020 to December 2022. We analysed the relationship between systemic inflammatory markers and the efficacy of ICIs combined chemotherapy and constructed a clinical prediction model. A nomogram was constructed based on the results of the bidirectional stepwise regression model. A total of 197 patients were enrolled in the training group, with a median follow-up period of time 26 months. Kaplan Meier analysis showed that the median OS of patients with low systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) and low platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) was superior to those with high SII and PLR. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that SII, NLR, PLR, and N stage as independent prognostic factors for OS. Adding SII to the conventional model improved the predictive ability of the 12-month OS. A total of 95 patients were included in the validation group, and external validation of the SII-based nomogram showed favourable predictive performance. Baseline SII, PLR, and N stage may serve as independent predictive factors for survival outcomes in advanced gastric cancer patients undergoing ICIs combined with chemotherapy. The SII-based nomogram can provide intuitive and accurate prognosis prediction of individual patients.

Nomogram Based on Body Composition and Prognostic Nutritional Index Predicts Survival After Curative Resection of Gastric Cancer

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to identify independent prognostic factors for gastric cancer (GC) patients after curative resection using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) combined with prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and to develop a nomogram prediction model for individualized prognosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study retrospectively analyzed 119 patients with GC who underwent curative resection from January 2016 to March 2018. The patients' preoperative clinical pathological data were recorded, and all patients underwent QCT scans before and after curative resection to obtain QCT parameters: bone mineral density (BMD), skeletal muscle area (SMA), visceral fat area (VFA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and CT fat fraction (CTFF), then relative rate of change in each parameter (ΔBMD, ΔSMA, ΔVFA, ΔSFA, ΔCTFF) was calculated after time normalization. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards was used to establish a nomogram model that based on independent prognostic factors. The concordance index (C-index), area under the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and clinical decision curve were used to evaluate the predictive performance and clinical benefit of the nomogram model． RESULTS: This study found that ΔCTFF, ΔVFA, ΔBMD and PNI are independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio: 1.034, 0.895, 0.976, 2.951, respectively, all p < 0.05). The established nomogram model could predict the area under the ROC curve of OS at 1, 3 and 5 years as 0.816, 0.815 and 0.881, respectively. The C-index was 0.743 (95% CI, 0.684-0.801), and the decision curve analysis showed that this model has good clinical net benefit.

CONCLUSION

The nomogram model based on body composition and PNI is reliable in predicting the individualized survival of underwent curative resection for GC patients.

Predictive model for non-malignant portal vein thrombosis associated with cirrhosis based on inflammatory biomarkers

BACKGROUND

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT), a complication of liver cirrhosis, is a major public health concern. PVT prediction is the most effective method for PVT diagnosis and treatment.

AIM

To develop and validate a nomogram and network calculator based on clinical indicators to predict PVT in patients with cirrhosis.

METHODS

Patients with cirrhosis hospitalized between January 2016 and December 2021 at the First Hospital of Lanzhou University were screened and 643 patients with cirrhosis who met the eligibility criteria were retrieved. Following a 1:1 propensity score matching 572 patients with cirrhosis were screened, and relevant clinical data were collected. PVT risk factors were identified using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Variance inflation factors and correlation matrix plots were used to analyze multicollinearity among the variables. A nomogram was constructed to predict the probability of PVT based on independent risk factors for PVT, and its predictive performance was verified using a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Finally, a network calculator was constructed based on the nomograms.

RESULTS

This study enrolled 286 cirrhosis patients with PVT and 286 without PVT. LASSO analysis revealed 13 variables as strongly associated with PVT occurrence. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed nine indicators as independent PVT risk factors, including etiology, ascites, gastroesophageal varices, platelet count, D-dimer, portal vein diameter, portal vein velocity, aspartate transaminase to neutrophil ratio index, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio. LASSO and correlation matrix plot results revealed no significant multicollinearity or correlation among the variables. A nomogram was constructed based on the screened independent risk factors. The nomogram had excellent predictive performance, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.821 and 0.829 in the training and testing groups, respectively. Calibration curves and DCA revealed its good clinical performance. Finally, the optimal cutoff value for the total nomogram score was 0.513. The sensitivity and specificity of the optimal cutoff values were 0.822 and 0.706, respectively.

CONCLUSION

A nomogram for predicting PVT occurrence was successfully developed and validated, and a network calculator was constructed. This can enable clinicians to rapidly and easily identify high PVT risk groups.

Prognostic Nutritional Index as a Prognostic Factor for Very Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

Field factors play more important roles in predicting the outcomes of patients compared with tumor factors in early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the prognostic ability of noninvasive serum marker scores for hepatic fibrosis and liver functional reserve on very early-stage HCC is still not yet determined. We aimed to investigate the performance of these serum marker scores in predicting the prognoses of patients with very early-stage HCC.

METHODS

A total of 446 patients with very early-stage HCC from 2012 to 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. Serum biomarkers and prognostic scores determining overall survival (OS) were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards model. We compared the Akaike information criterion among the prognostic nutritional index (PNI), aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index, albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score, EZ (easy)-ALBI score, modified ALBI score, fibrosis-4 score, and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio to determine the predictability on the OS.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 41.0 months (interquartile range 36.9-45.1 months), 81 patients died, with a 5-year OS rate of 71.0%. Among the noninvasive serum marker scores, PNI had the best performance in predicting the OS with the lowest Akaike information criterion (846.407) compared with other scores. Moreover, we stratified the patients into high-risk (PNI <45) and low-risk (PNI ≥45) groups. It showed that the 5-year OS rates were 83.4% and 60.8% in the low-risk and high-risk PNI groups, respectively ( P < 0.001).

DISCUSSION

PNI had the best performance in predicting the OS for patients with very early-stage HCC.

Prognostic significance of systemic immune-inflammation index in patients with nonfunction pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor undergoing surgical resection

PURPOSE

The purpose of our study was to investigate the clinical significance and prognostic role of the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) in patients who underwent surgical resection for nonfunctioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs).

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 364 patients with nonfunctioning pNETs. The association between the SII level and clinical parameters was investigated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to calculate the optimal SII value. Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic factors.

RESULTS

Our study included 364 patients with nonfunctioning pNETs who underwent surgery. The median age was 51.0 (43.0, 59.3), and 164 (45.1%) were male. The optimal threshold of SII determined by ROC analysis was 523.95. Higher SII levels were significantly associated with older age (p = 0.001), sex (p = 0.011), tumor size (p = 0.032), and tumor grade (p = 0.002). Recurrence was observed in 70 (19.2%) patients following a median follow-up of 98 months. Univariate analysis showed that higher SII (p < 0.0001), tumor size >4 cm (p = 0.015), and G2/G3 grade (p = 0.002) were significantly associated with disease-free survival (DFS). Multivariate analysis revealed that higher SII (HR: 7.35; 95% CI: 3.44, 15.70; p < 0.0001) and G2/G3 grade (HR: 3.11; 95% CI: 1.42, 6.82; p = 0.005) remained significantly associated with tumor recurrence. Furthermore, 46 (12.6%) patients died during the follow-up. Higher SII (HR: 8.43; 95% CI: 3.19, 22.72; p < 0.0001) and G2/G3 grade (HR: 3.16; 95% CI: 1.01, 9.86; p = 0.048) were independent predictors of overall survival (OS) by multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, our study revealed that a higher SII level was associated with tumor-related features (larger tumor size and advanced grade) and subsequent shorter DFS and OS in patients with nonfunctioning pNETs. These results indicated that the SII could serve as an efficient prognostic biomarker for nonfunctioning pNETs.

Construction and Validation of a Novel Nomogram Predicting Recurrence in Alpha-Fetoprotein-Negative Hepatocellular Carcinoma Post-Surgery Using an Innovative Liver Function-Nutrition-Inflammation-Immune (LFNII) Score: A Bicentric Investigation

Purpose

We developed a nomogram based on the liver function, nutrition, inflammation, and immunity (LFNII) score to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) post-resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exhibiting alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) negativity (AFP ≤20 ng/mL).

Patients and Methods

Clinical data of 661 patients diagnosed with alpha-fetoprotein-negative hepatocellular carcinoma (AFP-NHCC) who underwent surgical resection at two medical centers between 2012 and 2021 were collected. A total of 462 and 199 patients served as the training and validation sets, respectively. Pre-operative blood markers were collected and analyzed for LFNII. The LFNII score was formulated using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression model. A nomogram model was developed using the training set to incorporate other relevant clinicopathological indicators and predict postoperative recurrence. Model discrimination was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration was evaluated using a calibration curve, and clinical applicability was assessed using clinical decision curve analysis. A comparison with liver cancer staging was performed using the nomogram model. Finally, a cohort study was conducted to validate our findings.

Results

We derived the LFNII scores from nine indicators. Elevated LFNII scores correlated with unfavorable clinicopathological features. The LFNII score area under the curve revealed superior predictive efficacy at 1-, 2-, and 5-year RFS intervals, with values of 0.675, 0.658, and 0.633, respectively. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that a high LFNII score independently increased RFS risk in patients with AFP-NHCC. The C-index of the LFNII-nomogram model was 0.686 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.651-0.721). The nomogram model's clinical application value surpassed that of standard HCC staging systems.

Conclusion

The LFNII score-derived nomogram effectively predicted the RFS of patients with AFP-NHCC after curative resection.

Screening Tests Predicting Cancer Metastasis in the Etiology of Pericardial Effusion: HALP Score and PNI

BACKGROUND

Cancer screening is absolutely necessary in patients with pericardial effusion, given that cancer is one of the most serious diseases in the etiology of pericardial effusion. In previous studies, it was stated that the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII); the prognostic nutrition index (PNI); and the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, platelet (HALP) score can produce scores related to cancer.

OBJECTIVES

This study began considering that these scoring systems could predict cancer in the etiology of patients with pericardial effusion.

METHODS

This study produced a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent pericardiocentesis between 2006 and 2022. Pericardiocentesis was performed in a total of 283 patients with moderate-to-large pericardial effusion or pericardial tamponade within the specified period. HALP, PNI, and SII scores were calculated according to the peripheral venous blood taken before the pericardiocentesis procedure. The statistical significance level was set at p<0.05.

RESULTS

The HALP score proved to be 0.173 (0.125-0.175) in cancer patients and 0.32 (0.20-0.49) in non-cancer patients (p<0.001). The PNI score proved to be 33.1±5.6 in cancer patients and 39.8±4.8 in non-cancer patients (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The HALP score and PNI proved to be easy and fast cancer screening tests that can predict cancer metastasis in the etiology of patients with pericardial effusion.

A Joint Model Based on Post-Treatment Longitudinal Prognostic Nutritional Index to Predict Survival in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

a low PNI in patients with NPC is linked to poor survival, but prior studies have focused on single-timepoint measurements. Our study aims to employ joint modeling to analyze longitudinal PNI data from each routine visit, exploring its relationship with overall survival.

METHODS

In this retrospective study using data from the Chang Gung Research Database (2007-2019), we enrolled patients with NPC undergoing curative treatment. We analyzed the correlation between patient characteristics, including the PNI, and overall survival. A joint model combining a longitudinal sub-model with a time-to-event sub-model was used to further evaluate the prognostic value of longitudinal PNI.

RESULTS

A total of 2332 patient were enrolled for the analysis. Separate survival analyses showed that longitudinal PNI was an independent indicator of a reduced mortality risk (adjusted HR 0.813; 95% CI, 0.805 to 0.821). Joint modeling confirmed longitudinal PNI as a consistent predictor of survival (HR 0.864; 95% CI, 0.850 to 0.879). An ROC analysis revealed that a PNI below 38.1 significantly increased the risk of 90-day mortality, with 90.0% sensitivity and 89.6% specificity.

CONCLUSIONS

Longitudinal PNI data independently predicted the overall survival in patients with NPC, significantly forecasting 90-day survival outcomes. We recommend routine PNI assessments during each clinic visit for these patients.

Prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and advanced liver fibrosis in US adults: Evidence from NHANES 2017-2020

Objective

This study explored the potential association between the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and advanced liver fibrosis (AF) in the adult population of the United States.

Methods

Information on 6409 participants ≥18 years old was downloaded from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2017 to 2020. Multivariate analysis was combined with demographic factors to assess the relationships between PNI, NAFLD, and AF. A restricted cubic spline (RCS) was used to characterise the nonlinear association between the PNI and NAFLD and AF.

Results

Patients without NAFLD had substantially lower mean values for parameters such as age, lymphocyte count, neutrophil count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII), total cholesterol, triglycerides, HbA1c, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) than patients with NAFLD. Interestingly, non-NAFLD patients showed a pronounced increase in serum albumin levels compared to their NAFLD counterparts. In the subset without AF, there were discernibly lower measures of NLR, age, AST, ALT, γ-glutamyl transferase, triglycerides, neutrophil count, and body mass index (BMI) than in patients with AF. It was evident that those without AF had markedly elevated mean albumin and PNI levels in comparison to AF-affected individuals. In the comprehensive multivariable framework, a direct correlation was observed between PNI and NAFLD (adjusted odds ratio[aOR] = 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.09; p < 0.001), whereas PNI and AF were inversely correlated (aOR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.88-0.96; p < 0.001). Within the RCS model, a swift ascendancy was noted in the relationship between the PNI and NAFLD, peaking at approximately 52. Conversely, a non-linear inverse association was observed between PNI and AF.

Conclusion

Our analytical results indicate that elevated PNI levels are positively associated with an increased risk of NAFLD, but inversely related to the risk of AF. For robust validation of these observations, further research is required.

[Establishment and verification of a prognostic nomogram for survival of tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent cervical dissection]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the prognostic significance of inflammatory biomarkers, prognostic nutritional index and clinicopathological characteristics in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) patients who underwent cervical dissection.

METHODS

The retrospective cohort study consisted of 297 patients undergoing tumor resection for TSCC between January 2017 and July 2018. The study population was divided into the training set and validation set by 7 :3 randomly. The peripheral blood indices of interest were preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation score (SIS) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariable Cox regression analysis were used to evaluate independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). The nomogram's accuracy was internally validated using concordance index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the curve (AUC), calibration plot and decision curve analysis.

RESULTS

According to the univariate Cox regression analysis, clinical TNM stage, clinical T category, clinical N category, differentiation grade, depth of invasion (DOI), tumor size and pre-treatment PNI were the prognostic factors of TSCC. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that pre-treatment PNI, clinical N category, DOI and tumor size were independent prognostic factors for OS or DSS (P < 0.05). Positive neck nodal status (N≥1), PNI≤50.65 and DOI > 2.4 cm were associated with the poorer 5-year OS, while a positive neck nodal status (N≥1), PNI≤50.65 and tumor size > 3.4 cm were associated with poorer 5-year DSS. The concordance index of the nomograms based on independent prognostic factors was 0.708 (95%CI, 0.625-0.791) for OS and 0.717 (95%CI, 0.600-0.834) for DSS. The C-indexes for external validation of OS and DSS were 0.659 (95%CI, 0.550-0.767) and 0.780 (95%CI, 0.669-0.890), respectively. The 1-, 3- and 5-year time-dependent ROC analyses (AUC = 0.66, 0.71 and 0.72, and AUC = 0.68, 0.77 and 0.79, respectively) of the nomogram for the OS and DSS pronounced robust discriminative ability of the model. The calibration curves showed good agreement between the predicted and actual observations of OS and DSS, while the decision curve confirmed its pronounced application value.

CONCLUSION

Pre-treatment PNI, clinical N category, DOI and tumor size can potentially be used to predict OS and DSS of patients with TSCC. The prognostic nomogram based on these variables exhibited good accurary in predicting OS and DSS in patients with TSCC who underwent cervical dissection. They are effective tools for predicting survival and helps to choose appropriate treatment strategies to improve the prognosis.

Prognostic value of inflammatory nutritional scores in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy: a multicenter study in China

Objective

This study investigates the prognostic significance of inflammatory nutritional scores in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LA-ESCC) undergoing neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy.

Methods

A total of 190 LA-ESCC patients were recruited from three medical centers across China. Pre-treatment laboratory tests were utilized to calculate inflammatory nutritional scores. LASSO regression and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to pinpoint predictors of pathological response. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were employed to assess disease-free survival (DFS) prognostic factors.

Results

The cohort comprised 154 males (81.05%) and 36 females (18.95%), with a median age of 61.4 years. Pathological complete response (pCR) was achieved in 17.38% of patients, while 44.78% attained major pathological response (MPR). LASSO and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified that hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) (P=0.02) as an independent predictors of MPR in LA-ESCC patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests indicated that patients with low HALP, MPR, ypT1-2, ypN0 and, ypTNM I stages had prolonged DFS (P < 0.05). Furthermore, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses underscored HALP (P = 0.019) and ypT (P = 0.029) as independent predictive factors for DFS in ESCC.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that LA-ESCC patients with lower pre-treatment HALP scores exhibit improved pathological response and reduced recurrence rate. As a comprehensive index of inflammatory nutritional status, pre-treatment HALP may be a reliable prognostic marker in ESCC patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy.

Immunoneoadjuvant therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors of gastric cancer: an emerging exemplification : Immunoneoadjuvant therapy of gastric cancer

Advances in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have enabled more effective treatment for individuals with various types of solid tumors. Given the improved survival benefit and acceptable safety profile of ICIs in advanced gastric cancer, there is plenty of interest in the use of ICIs in the neoadjuvant setting with curative intent. Theoretically, immunoneoadjuvant with ICIs could boost the levels of endogenous tumor antigen present in the tumor to enhance T-cell priming and further enhance systemic immunity. This systemic immune response may improve the detection and elimination of the disseminated micrometastatic tumors beyond the resected tumor, which are sources of postsurgical relapse. Numerous clinical studies have begun to explore the application of ICIs in neoadjuvant treatment of gastric cancer. This article reviews the progress in the use of ICI monotherapy and in combination with alternative therapies for the treatment of gastric cancer to aid in the development of gastric cancer immunoneoadjuvant therapy and improve the overall therapeutic benefit.