The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI): A New Biomarker for Determining Prognosis in Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Carcinoma

Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) as Independent Predictor of Poor Survival in Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The concentration of albumin and lymphocyte in the body can serve as indicators of both nutritional status and inflammation. The predictive significance of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) has been documented in multiple cancer types. Consequently, a meta-analysis was conducted in order to investigate the prognostic impact of PNI on survival outcomes among individuals diagnosed with prostate cancer.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted across 4 electronic databases to identify pertinent studies that evaluated the predictive significance of pretreatment PNI in patients with prostate cancer. The outcomes of interest in this study were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The researchers utilized random-effect models to summarize the time-to-event outcomes, presenting the results as adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) along with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

A total of 2229 prostate cancer patients in 13 studies were included. Pooled analysis from these studies showed that low PNI value was associated with shorter OS [aHR 1.99 (95% CI, 1.45-2.72), P < .0001], and PFS [aHR 1.97 (95% CI, 1.55-2.51), P < .00001]. Sub-group analysis revealed that the ability of PNI to predict poor outcomes was better observed in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and those who received androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests the role of PNI in predicting the survival and progression of prostate cancer. PNI values can be used in the risk stratification of patients with prostate cancer.

The prognostic value of immune-nutritional status in metastatic colorectal cancer: Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI)

BACKROUND AND PURPOSE

A low Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) value, which reflects immune nutrition and inflammation around the tumor, is associated with an unfavorable prognosis, and it was aimed to reveal its prognostic value in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

In our retrospective cross-sectional study, patients with a diagnosis of metastatic colorectal disease without active infection, between January 2010 and December 2016 were included. The PNI values at the time of diagnosis were calculated according to the formula (10 × serum albumin (g/dL)) + (0.005 × total lymphocyte value).

RESULTS

The mean PNI value of 253 patients included in the study was 46.6. While 53.75% (n = 136) of the patients had a PNI value of 46.6 and above, 46.25% (n = 117) had a PNI value below 46.6. The overall survival (OS) of the group with a PNI of 46.6 and above was statistically significantly longer (53.06 months vs 38.80 months, p = 0.039). The PFS duration of the group with PNI below 46.6 was 25.66 months, while the PFS duration of the group with PNI above 46.6 was not reached (p = 0.265).

CONCLUSION

PNI is a simple and inexpensive index that evaluates the immunonutritional status, and it is a prognostic marker that can be easily used in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer as in other cancer types.

Clinical Significance of the Prognostic Nutritional Index in Predicting Delirium among Critically Ill Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Delirium is a serious and complex problem facing critically ill patients. This retrospective study aimed to explore the association between prognostic nutrition index (PNI) and delirium in critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study was based on the Medical Information Mart Intensive Care IV (MIMIC IV) database. Patients over 18 years of age were enrolled. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the association between PNI and delirium. Tendency analysis, subgroups analysis, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were selected to further certify the association. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was adopted to assess the predictability of PNI to delirium. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce the interference of confounders. A total of 3,105 patients participated in this study. As the grade of malnutrition increases, the incidence of delirium increases in all models. The odds ratios (OR) of delirium in the fully adjusted model were 1.00 (reference), 1.04 (0.80, 1.36), 1.53 (1.17, 1.99), and 1.93 (1.44, 2.59). Strong U-shaped curves were found with RCS analysis between delirium and PNI in the subgroups of patients over 60 years of age and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). After PSM, the ORs of delirium were 1.44 (1.16, 1.79) and 1.53 (1.22, 1.93), respectively, in the univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. PNI is negatively associated with the prevalence of delirium in critically ill adults in the ICU. PNI is an independent risk factor for the incidence of delirium in adults in the ICU.

Association of prognostic nutritional index with mortalities in American adult cancer survivors: A cohort study based on NHANES, 1999-2018

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) has been associated with disease progression and overall survival among cancer patients. Nonetheless, the association between PNI and mortality risk in adult cancer patients within the United States remains unexplored. This study aims to elucidate the connection between PNI and prognostic outcomes in American adult cancer patients. This cohort study derived data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination database, involving 4366 American adults diagnosed with cancer between 1999 and 2018. The nutritional status was assessed using the PNI, with higher PNI scores indicating a more favorable nutritional status. The study employed Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard regression to investigate the impact of PNI on various outcomes, including all-cause mortality (ACM), cardiovascular mortality (CAM), and malignancy tumor mortality (MTM) among adult cancer patients. Furthermore, restricted cubic spline models were used to examine the potential nonlinear relationship between the variables by creating hazard ratio (HR) curves at four specific points. The median follow-up duration was 84 months, during which 1530 (35.04%) cases of ACM occurred, including 331 (13.67%) CAM and 449 (10.45%) MTM. COX regression analysis revealed a significant inverse association between PNI and patient prognosis, with HRs of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93-0.96, p < .001) for ACM, 0.93 (95% CI: 0.90-0.96, p < .001) for CAM, and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91-0.97, p < .001) for MTM. Both Kaplan-Meier analyses and restricted cubic spline curves showed significant differences in mortality rates related to PNI (p < .001, nonlinear p < .001). Our study provides compelling evidence of a clear association between PNI and reduced risk of ACM, CAM, and MTM in adult cancer patients in the United States. These findings underscore the significance of incorporating PNI as a possible prognostic indicator for individuals diagnosed with cancer.

Prognostic significance of HALP score and combination of peripheral blood multiple indicators in patients with early breast cancer

Background

To assess the prognostic significance of preoperative hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score combined with multiple peripheral blood indicators in patients with early breast cancer (EBC).

Methods

A total of 411 patients with early invasive breast cancer underwent breast-conserving surgery or radical surgery at Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020. The cut-off values of HALP, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were calculated using the software X-tile. The primary outcomes were recurrence-free survival (RFS), which was analyzed using the Kaplan Meier (K-M) method, while log-rank was used to test the differences between high and low curves. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the prognostic significance of HALP. Furthermore, the prognostic predictive value of independent prognostic factors was determined using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results

Low HALP score (P<0.0001), high PLR (P<0.0001), and low LMR (P = 0.0345) were significantly associated with worse RFS. Body mass index (BMI)<24 (P = 0.0036), no diabetes (P = 0.0205), earlier TNM stage (P = 0.0005), and no lymph node metastasis (P = 0.0022) were positively correlated with longer survival HALP scores (hazard ratio [HR] 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.08 (0.024-0.265), P<0.0001), BMI (HR 95%CI: 0.254 (0.109-0.589), P = 0.001), TNM stage (HR 95%CI: 0.153 (0.041-0.571), P = 0.005), and diabetes (HR 95%CI: 0.259 (0.085-0.785), P = 0.017) were demonstrated as independent prognostic factors by Cox regression analysis. The ROC curves depicted that the two most valuable factors were TNM stage and HALP, and combined independent factors were more accurate in prognostic prediction than any single factor. This further indicated that the TNM stage combined HALP or BMI were more valuable combinations.

Conclusion

The HALP score was an independent prognostic factor for EBC and was significantly associated with worse RFS. This score may predict the probability of postoperative tumor recurrence or metastasis before surgery.