Nutritional risk is a clinical predictor of postoperative mortality and morbidity in surgery for colorectal cancer

European guideline on obesity care in patients with gastrointestinal and liver diseases - Joint ESPEN/UEG guideline

BACKGROUND

Patients with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disease such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), pancreatitis, and chronic liver disease (CLD) often suffer from obesity because of coincidence (IBD, IBS, celiac disease) or related pathophysiology (GERD, pancreatitis and CLD). It is unclear if such patients need a particular diagnostic and treatment that differs from the needs of lean GI patients. The present guideline addresses this question according to current knowledge and evidence.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the guideline is to give advice to all professionals working in the field of gastroenterology care including physicians, surgeons, dietitians and others how to handle patients with GI disease and obesity.

METHODS

The present guideline was developed according to the standard operating procedure for ESPEN guidelines, following the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) grading system (A, B, 0, and good practice point (GPP)). The procedure included an online voting (Delphi) and a final consensus conference.

RESULTS

In 100 recommendations (3x A, 33x B, 24x 0, 40x GPP, all with a consensus grade of 90% or more) care of GI patients with obesity - including sarcopenic obesity - is addressed in a multidisciplinary way. A particular emphasis is on CLD, especially fatty liver disease, since such diseases are closely related to obesity, whereas liver cirrhosis is rather associated with sarcopenic obesity. A special chapter is dedicated to obesity care in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. The guideline focuses on adults, not on children, for whom data are scarce. Whether some of the recommendations apply to children must be left to the judgment of the experienced pediatrician.

CONCLUSION

The present guideline offers for the first time evidence-based advice how to care for patients with chronic GI diseases and concomitant obesity, an increasingly frequent constellation in clinical practice.

A Recurrence Predictive Model for Node-negative Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma After Upfront Esophagectomy

The prognosis for pathologically node-negative (pN0) esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) with surgery alone remains poor. We aimed to develop a model for a more precise prediction of recurrence, which will allow personalized management for pN0 ESCC after upfront complete resection. Clinical and pathological records of patients with completely resected pT1-3N0M0 ESCC were retrospectively analyzed between January 2014 and December 2019. A nomogram for the prediction of recurrence was established based on the Cox regression analysis and evaluated by C-index, AUC, and calibration curves. The model was further validated using bootstrap resampling and k-fold cross-validation and compared with the 8th edition of the AJCC TNM staging system using Td-ROC, NRI, IDI, and DCA. Two-hundred-and seventy cases were included in this study. The median follow-up was 45 months. Distant and/or loco-regional recurrences were noted in 89 (33.0%) patients. The predictive model revealed pT-category, differentiation, perineural invasion, examined lymph nodes (ELN), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) as independent risk factors for recurrence, with a c-index of 0.725 in the bootstrapping cohort. Td-ROC, NRI, and IDI showed a better predictive ability than the AJCC 8th TNM staging system. Based on this model, patients in the low-risk group had a significantly lower recurrence incidence than those in the high-risk group (p < .001). The predictive model developed in this study may facilitate the precise prediction of recurrences for pN0 ESCC after upfront surgery. Stratifying management of those patients might bring significantly better survival benefits.

Perioperative oral nutritional support for patients diagnosed with primary colon adenocarcinoma undergoing radical surgical procedures -Peri-Nutri Trial: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background

Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers in Finland and worldwide. Cancer-related malnutrition is a well-known risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality after surgery, and it is associated with complications and longer hospitalizations. There are no established recommendations on how to improve the nutritional status of colon cancer patients´ during the perioperative phase. Administration of simple oral nutritional supplements has been suggested to reduce complication rates, but evidence to support this practice is scarce.

Methods

The Peri-Nutri trial is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial. Its primary endpoint is to evaluate whether perioperative oral nutritional support (ONS) decreases the number of complications during the 30-day follow-up after surgery. Secondary endpoints are to study the effect of ONS on quality of life after surgery, length of stay in institutional care, 90-day mortality rate, five-year disease-free survival and overall survival. The patients with a Nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS-2002) questionnaire result between 2 and 5 (≥ 3 are classified at risk of malnutrition) will be randomized (1:1 ratio) into either the intervention or control group. The intervention group will receive preoperative ONS two weeks before the operation, and nutritional support will continue 10 days after the operation. The control group will not receive ONS. A total of 318 patients will be randomized into two groups and patients are followed five years.

Discussion

Peri-Nutri study evaluate the impact of ONS to short-term and long-term postoperative morbidity and mortality rates of colon cancer patients undergoing curative surgery. If ONS will decrease patients´ morbidity and mortality, that has a huge impact on patients´ quality of life and also to financial cost.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03863236, Registered 25 February 2019.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40795-022-00591-y.

European guideline on obesity care in patients with gastrointestinal and liver diseases - Joint European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism / United European Gastroenterology guideline

BACKGROUND

Patients with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disease such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), pancreatitis, and chronic liver disease (CLD) often suffer from obesity because of coincidence (IBD, IBS, celiac disease) or related pathophysiology (GERD, pancreatitis and CLD). It is unclear if such patients need a particular diagnostic and treatment that differs from the needs of lean GI patients. The present guideline addresses this question according to current knowledge and evidence.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the guideline is to give advice to all professionals working in the field of gastroenterology care including physicians, surgeons, dietitians and others how to handle patients with GI disease and obesity.

METHODS

The present guideline was developed according to the standard operating procedure for European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism guidelines, following the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network grading system (A, B, 0, and good practice point [GPP]). The procedure included an online voting (Delphi) and a final consensus conference.

RESULTS

In 100 recommendations (3x A, 33x B, 24x 0, 40x GPP, all with a consensus grade of 90% or more) care of GI patients with obesity - including sarcopenic obesity - is addressed in a multidisciplinary way. A particular emphasis is on CLD, especially fatty liver disease, since such diseases are closely related to obesity, whereas liver cirrhosis is rather associated with sarcopenic obesity. A special chapter is dedicated to obesity care in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. The guideline focuses on adults, not on children, for whom data are scarce. Whether some of the recommendations apply to children must be left to the judgment of the experienced pediatrician.

CONCLUSION

The present guideline offers for the first time evidence-based advice how to care for patients with chronic GI diseases and concomitant obesity, an increasingly frequent constellation in clinical practice.

When is enteral nutrition indicated?

Enteral nutrition (EN) is a vital component of nutrition around the world. EN allows for delivery of nutrients to those who cannot maintain adequate nutrition by oral intake alone. Common questions regarding EN are when to initiate and in what scenarios it is safe. The answers to these questions are often complex and require an evidence-based approach. The Board of Directors of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) established an Enteral Nutrition Committtee to address the important questions surrounding the indications for EN. Consensus recommendations were established based on eight extremely clinically relevant questions regarding EN indications as deemed by the Enteral Nutrition Committee. These consensus recommendations may act as a guide for clinicians and stakeholders on difficult questions pertaining to indications for EN. This paper was approved by the ASPEN Board of Directors.

Preoperative Malnutrition-Associated Spinal Malalignment with Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: A 2-Year Follow-Up Study

Introduction

Malnutrition could lead to additional medical complications, and the prognostic nutrition index (PNI) is evaluated to assess the nutritional status of patients. However, the midterm postoperative outcomes of malnutrition in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) are unclear. This study aims to investigate postoperative midterm spinal alignment and patients' reported outcome measures (PROMs) in malnourished patients with ASD.

Methods

This study recruited 303 ASD patients who underwent surgery. Adult patients ≥50 years old were categorized into the PNI <50 (L group) and the PNI ≥50 (H group) groups. Demographic data, medical complications, mechanical complications, radiographic parameters, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) were analyzed.

Results

In this study, 303 patients participated, with 132 and 171 patients in the L and H groups, respectively. Significant differences were noted between the L and H groups in body mass index (22.5 vs. 23.6 kg/m², p=0.011), autoimmune disease (9.8% vs. 2.3%, p=0.005), and total number of medical complications (47.7% vs. 33.3%, p=0.011). The T1 slope was significantly higher in the L group than in the H group preoperatively (36.5 vs. 32.8°, p=0.042). However, no significant differences were noted in mechanical complications, ODI, SRS-22 scores, or radiographic parameters 2 years postoperatively between the L and H groups, except for the sagittal vertical axis (73.1 vs. 55.7 mm, p=0.014).

Conclusions

No significant difference was noted in the incidence of mechanical complications and PROMs 2 years postoperatively. Malnourished status was related to medical complications and global malalignment. However, good surgical outcomes can be expected even for malnourished patients.

Combination of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index and Carcinoembryonic Antigen to Predict the Survival of Patients With Colorectal Cancer

Background

This study explored the value of the combination of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) for the prognosis assessment of CRC patients.

Methods

This study retrospectively enrolled 1,014 CRC patients who underwent surgery between 2012 and 2014. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests were used to compare survival differences. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to assess risk factors associated with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Nomograms were constructed to predict the prognosis of CRC patients. Randomized internal validation was used to confirm the predictive accuracy of the prognostic nomograms.

Results

The GNRI-CEA score was established by combining GNRI and CEA. Compared with patients with normal GNRI-CEA scores, patients with mild/moderate/severe GNRI-CEA scores had significantly lower survival (PFS, 68.99% vs. 57.75% vs. 41.34% vs. 31.36%, p < 0.001; OS, 68.99% vs. 57.75% vs. 41.34% vs. 31.36%, p < 0.001). The GNRI-CEA score is an independent factor predicting the prognosis of CRC patients. The risk of death was twofold higher in patients with low GNRI and high CEA than in those with both normal GNRI and CEA [PFS, hazard ratio (HR), 2.339; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.656-3.303; p < 0.001; OS, HR, 2.340; 95% CI, 1.645-3.329; p < 0.001]. Prognostic nomograms had good resolution and accuracy in predicting 1-5 year PFS and OS. Randomized internal validation showed that the nomograms were reliable.

Conclusion

The combination of GNRI and CEA can effectively stratify the prognosis of CRC patients. The nomogram established based on the two indices can provide a personalized reference for prognostic assessment and clinical decision-making for CRC patients.

Poor Pre-operative Nutritional Status Is a Risk Factor of Post-operative Infections in Patients With Gastrointestinal Cancer—A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study

Objective

This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of the Nutritional Risk Score 2002 (NRS2002) and patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) for post-operative infections in patients with gastric cancer (GC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) who underwent curative surgery.

Methods

This prospective study included 1,493 GC patients and 879 CRC patients who underwent curative surgery at 18 hospitals in China between April 2017 and March 2020. The NRS2002 and PG-SGA were performed on the day of admission. The relationship between the nutritional status of patients before surgery and post-surgical incidence of infection was analyzed using univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses.

Results

According to NRS2002, the prevalence of nutritional risk was 51.1% in GC patients and 63.9% in CRC patients. According to the PG-SGA, 38.9% of GC patients and 54.2% of CRC patients had malnutrition. Approximately 4.4% of the GC patients and 9.9% of the CRC patients developed infectious complications after surgery. The univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses showed that the risk of infections was significantly higher in GC patients with a high nutritional risk score (NRS2002 ≥5) than in those with a low score (NRS2002 <3), and the PG-SGA score was identified as a predictor of post-operative infection complications of CRC.

Conclusion

The pre-operative nutritional status of patients with GC or CRC has an impact on post-operative infection occurrence. NRS2002 ≥5 was a risk factor for post-operative infection in patients with GC, and the PG-SGA B/C was a predictor of infections in patients with CRC.

Applicability of five nutritional screening tools in Chinese patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To identify the most appropriate nutritional risk screening tool for patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery, five nutritional screening tools, including the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002), Short Form of Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF), Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) and Nutritional Risk Index (NRI), were employed to evaluate the nutritional risk at admission and short-term clinical outcome prediction.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

A comprehensive affiliated hospital of a university in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.

PARTICIPANTS

301 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer were continuously recruited to complete the study from October 2020 to May 2021.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Within 48 hours of hospital admission, five nutritional screening tools were used to measure the nutritional risk and to determine their relationship with postoperative short-term clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

The nutritional risk assesed by the five tools ranged from 25.2% to 46.2%. Taking the Subject Global Assessment as the diagnostic standard, MNA-SF had the best consistency (κ=0.570, p<0.001) and MST had the highest sensitivity (82.61%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis after adjusting confounding factors showed that the NRS 2002 score ≥3 (OR 2.400, 95% CI 1.043 to 5.522) was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications and was the strongest predictor of postoperative complications (area under the curve 0.621, 95% CI 0.549 to 0.692). The scores of NRS 2002 (r=0.131, p<0.001), MNA-SF (r=0.115, p<0.05) and NRI (r=0.187, p<0.05) were poorly correlated with the length of stay. There was no correlation between the five nutritional screening tools and hospitalisation costs (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with the other four nutritional screening tools, we found that NRS 2002 is the most appropriate nutritional screening tool for Chinese patients with colorectal cancer.

To Feed or Not to Feed - Nutritional Risk Assessment and Support in Elective Colorectal Surgery. A Prospective Study on the Effect of Screening

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignant tumor and resection remains the key element in its treatment. The correction of preoperative malnutrition reduces morbidity and mortality. Our study demonstrates a nutritional state mass screening protocol to steer nutritional support. Two hundred fifty-nine patients with planned colorectal resection were prospectively enrolled. Preoperative telemedicinal assessment determined the risk of malnutrition using Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) score. Patients with a score ≥3 were offered optimized oral nutritional supplement. Three groups were investigated. Group I (NRS 2002 < 3, n = 98) received no supplement. Group II- (NRS 2002 ≥ 3, n = 118) was offered but did not finally receive clinical nutrition. Group II+ (NRS 2002 ≥ 3, n = 43) accepted and received adequate clinical nutrition. 98 patients (37.8%) had no risk, 154 patients (59.5%) had increased risk and 7 (2.7%) had severe malnutrition. Severe complications (Clavien-Dindo >2) rate was similar in Group I (2%) and Group II+ (2.3%) with no mortality. Severe complications more often occurred in Group II- (5.1%) along with 1.7% mortality (p > 0.05). Length of stay was the highest in Group II- while the lowest in Group II+ (p < 0.01). Preoperative telemedicinal screening is applicable in identifying patients with malnutrition. NRS 2002 used by a nutritional team reduces length of stay.

Preoperative Osteopenia Is Associated with Significantly Shorter Survival in Patients with Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma

Background: Osteopenia is defined as low bone mineral density (BMD) and has been shown to be associated with outcomes of patients with various cancers. The association between osteopenia and perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate osteopenia as a prognostic factor in patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods: A total of 58 patients who underwent surgery for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. The BMD at the 11th thoracic vertebra was measured using computed tomography scan within one month of surgery. Patients with a BMD < 160 HU were considered to have osteopenia and b BMD ≥ 160 did not have osteopenia. The log-rank test was performed for survival using the Kaplan−Meier method. After adjusting for confounding factors, overall survival was assessed by Cox′s proportional-hazards model. Results: The osteopenia group had 27 (47%) more females than the non-osteopenia group (p = 0.036). Median survival in the osteopenia group was 37 months and in the non-osteopenia group was 61 months (p = 0.034). In multivariable analysis, osteopenia was a significant independent risk factor associated with overall survival in patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (hazard ratio 3.54, 95% confidence interval 1.09−11.54, p = 0.036), along with primary tumor stage. Conclusions: Osteopenia is associated with significantly shorter survival in patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Prognostic Factors Affecting Short- and Long-Term Outcomes of Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer in Older Patients

INTRODUCTION

The benefits of surgery in older patients with gastric cancer are controversial. This single-institution retrospective study in Japan aimed to evaluate the impact of gastrectomy in older patients with gastric cancer.

METHODS

A series of 234 patients aged ≥80 years with histologically confirmed gastric cancer had indications for surgical treatment at the Gastroenterological Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, between April 2002 and December 2018. Patients who were lost to follow-up (n = 27), had tumors not eligible for surgery (n = 14), and could not achieve R0 resection (n = 7) were excluded from this retrospective study. The remaining 186 patients were included. Patient characteristics, intraoperative outcomes, postoperative complications, and long-term survival were evaluated.

RESULTS

The incidence of postoperative complications with Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ II was observed in 61 patients (32.8%). The 5-year relapse-free survival and overall survival (OS) rates were 84.2% and 63.4%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that geriatric nutritional risk index (<98) (odds ratio, 1.97; p = 0.047), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (>2.36) (odds ratio, 1.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-3.67; p = 0.043), and total gastrectomy (TG) (odds ratio, 1.97; p = 0.042) significantly predicted postoperative complications. Moreover, TG (hazard ratio, 1.91; p = 0.036) was an independent prognostic factor of OS.

CONCLUSIONS

Poor immunonutritional status and TG led to worse short-term outcomes. Moreover, TG was an independent prognostic factor of OS in older patients with gastric cancer. It is necessary to provide effective perioperative care, including nutritional support, to clarify whether short-term outcomes would be improved.

Preoperative geriatric nutritional risk index is an independent prognostic factor for postoperative survival after gallbladder cancer radical surgery

Background

Currently, the surgical outcomes of gallbladder cancer (GBC) are not always satisfactory. The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) can effectively assess nutritional status. This study intends to investigate whether the preoperative GNRI can predict the prognosis of GBC.

Methods

202 consecutive GBC patients who underwent treatment from 2010 to 2017 were selected and analyzed retrospectively. By using the univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses on overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), the preoperative GNRI of GBC patients was evaluated.

Results

Among the 202 patients, the GNRI of the 86 patients (42.6%) was less than 98. The patients with low preoperative GNRI had the median OS of 26 months, which was less than the median OS of 39 months among those patients who had higher preoperative GNRI (P < 0.001). Univariate analysis showed that low GNRI was related to short survival time (HR 3.656, 95% CI 2.308–5.790, P < 0.001). In addition, the results of multivariate analysis revealed that, the patients with low GNRI showed a lower OS (HR 2.207, 95% CI 1.131–4.308, P = 0.020) and RFS (HR 2.964, 95% CI 1.577–5.571, P = 0.001) than those patients with higher GNRI.

Conclusion

GNRI is an independent indicator of poor prognosis in GBC patients after GBC radical surgery.

Association of Modified Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index and Handgrip Strength With Survival in Cancer: A Multi-Centre Cohort Study

Background

This study aimed to explore the value of combining the modified geriatric nutrition risk index (mGNRI) and handgrip strength (HGS) in the prognosis assessment of cancer.

Methods

This multicenter, prospective cohort study, enrolled 5,607 cancer patients from 27 medical centers across 17 provinces in China between June 2012 and December 2019. The primary outcome was overall survival. Secondary outcomes included the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score, Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) score, cachexia, and admission 90-day outcome. A composite prognostic score (mGNRI-HGS score) was developed based on the mGNRI and HGS. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to draw the survival curve, and log-rank analysis was used to estimate the survival rate. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the associations of the mGNRI, HGS or mGNRI-HGS score with risk of mortality among the cancer patients, adjusted for potential confounders.

Results

A low mGNRI (HR = 0.99, 95%CI = 0.98–0.99, p < 0.001) and low HGS (HR = 0.99, 95%CI = 0.98–0.99, p = 0.001) were associated with an increased risk of mortality. A severe mGNRI-HGS score was independently associated with reduced survival. Compared with patients with normal scores, the risk of mortality among the patients with moderate and severe mGNRI-HGS scores was 28.8 and 13.3% higher, respectively. Even within the same pathological stage, it presented significant gradient prognostic stratification. Additionally, a low mGNRI-HGS score was also independently associated with a higher risk of low KPS (p < 0.001), high PGSGA (p < 0.001), cachexia (p < 0.001), and adverse admission 90-day outcome (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The mGNRI and HGS may be useful predictors of long-term prognosis in cancer patients. The combination of the two methods provides effective prognostic stratification for cancer patients and could predict physical frailty, malnutrition, and cachexia.

Relationship between nutritional biomarkers and occlusal status in gastric cancer patients using the Eichner index: Observational study

ABSTRACT

Systemic inflammatory responses and nutritional status are useful prognostic factors in gastric cancer patients. Since oral hypofunction causes undernutrition, we cross-sectionally investigated whether nutritional biomarkers were affected by the occlusal supporting zone status.In 114 gastric cancer patients, the gastric cancer stage, body mass index, albumin levels, total lymphocyte counts, cholesterol levels, C-reactive protein levels, and 4 nutritional biomarkers - the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, prognostic nutrition index (PNI), and controlling nutritional status (CONUT) - were evaluated. Oral conditions were assessed by determining the number of remaining teeth. The occlusal supporting status was based on the Eichner classification. Patients were assigned into 3 groups per their occlusal status, and mean values were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The mean age and body mass index were 72.2 ± 8.5 (50-89) years and 22.0 ± 3.6 (14.8-33.4), respectively. There were 42, 39, 23, and 10 patients in stages I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The mean number of remaining teeth was 18.1 ± 9.5. According to the Eichner classification, there were 45, 42, and 27 patients in groups A, B, and C, respectively. The GPS and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio values and CONUT frequencies between groups A and C were significantly different (P = .033, P = .00097, P = .04, respectively; Mann-Whitney U test). PNI values were lower in group C with poor occlusal support zones than in group A with stable occlusal support zones.Occlusal supporting zone reductions were undernutrition associated. Eichner Class C patients with few occlusal supporting zones had poor GPS, PNI, and CONUT values and were undernourished.

Prognostic Value of Prognostic Nutritional Index in Patients With Colorectal Cancer Undergoing Surgical Treatment

Background

To investigate the relationship between prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and the survival of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) undergoing surgical treatment.

Methods

In total 1,014 CRC patients who underwent surgical treatment were enrolled. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the features that influenced postoperative complications in CRC patients. Restricted cubic spline was used to assess the dose-response relationship between PNI and survival in CRC patients. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare survival differences between groups of CRC patients. Cox proportional risk regression models was used to assess independent risk factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of CRC patients.

Results

Low PNI was associated with high tumor burden, invasive pathological features, and poor host status. Compared with patients with high PNI, patients with low PNI have a higher incidence of complications and longer hospital stay. Low PNI was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications in CRC patients. for every SD increased in PNI, the risk of poor prognosis for CRC patients was reduced by 2.3% (HR = 0.977, 95%CI = 0.962-0.993, p = 0.004) in PFS, and 2.3% (HR = 0.977, 95%CI = 0.962-0.993, p = 0.004) in OS. PNI was an independent prognostic factor affecting the PFS and OS of CRC patients. Finally, we constructed the PNI-based nomograms to predict postoperative complications, 1-5 years PFS and OS in CRC patients. Concordance index and calibration curve indicated that the PNI-based nomograms have moderate prediction accuracy.

Conclusion

PNI is an independent risk factor affecting postoperative complications, PFS and OS of CRC patients, and is a useful supplement to the TNM stage.

Identification of ICU Patients with High Nutritional Risk after Abdominal Surgery Using Modified NUTRIC Score and the Association of Energy Adequacy with 90-Day Mortality

For patients undergoing abdominal surgery, malnutrition further increases the susceptibility to infection, surgical complications, and mortality. However, there is no standard tool for identifying high-risk groups of malnutrition or exact criteria for the optimal target of nutrition supply. We aimed to identify the nutritional risk in critically ill patients using modified Nutrition Risk in the Critically Ill (mNUTRIC) scores and assessing the relationship with clinical outcomes. Furthermore, we identified the ideal target of energy intake during the acute postoperative period. A prospective observational study was conducted. mNUTRIC scores and the average calories prescribed and given were calculated. To identify the high-risk group of malnutrition, receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted. The ideal target of energy adequacy and predisposing factors of 90-day mortality were assessed using multiple logistic regression analyses. A total of 206 patients were analyzed. The cutoff value for mNUTRIC score predicting 90-day mortality was 5 (Area under the curve = 0.7, 95% confidence interval (Cl) 0.606−0.795, p < 0.001). A total of 75 patients (36.4%) were classified in the high mNUTRIC group (mNUTRIC ≥ 5) and had a significantly higher postoperative complication and longer length of surgical intensive care unit stay. High mNUTRIC scores (odds ratio = 2.548, 95% CI 1.177−5.514, p = 0.018) and energy adequacy less than 50% (odds ratio = 6.427, 95% CI 1.674−24.674, p = 0.007) were associated with 90-day mortality.

Combination of Nutritional Risk Index and Handgrip Strength on the Survival of Patients with Cancer Cachexia: A Multi- Center Cohort Study

PURPOSE

The nutritional risk index (NRI) and handgrip strength (HGS) are useful indicators of nutritional and physical status, respectively, both of them can predict the prognosis of many cancers; however, the predictive accuracy of a single indicator is unsatisfactory. Whether the combination of NRI and HGS could enhance the stratification of the prognosis of patients with cancer cachexia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study population was randomly divided into training and validation cohorts. We combined NRI and HGS and constructed the NRI-HGS score. Restricted cubic splines were used to assess the associations between NRI, HGS, and all-cause mortality. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival probability of the patients. The Cox proportional hazards risk model was used to analyze survival and prognostic factors.

RESULTS

Low NRI and low HGS were independent predictors of poor prognosis in patients with cancer cachexia. The NRI-HGS score showed a better prognostic stratification than either NRI or HGS. The co-occurrence of low NRI and low HGS was associated with an approximately 1.8-fold increased risk of mortality. The NRI-HGS score could effectively distinguish patients with a poor prognosis at different pathological stages. Furthermore, we constructed a novel prognostic nomogram based on NRI and HGS. The concordance index and calibration plot confirmed that the nomogram had good prognostic accuracy. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the nomogram reached >0.8, which was much higher than that of the traditional tumor-node-metastasis staging system. The nomogram provided better prognostic stratification for patients with cancer cachexia.

CONCLUSION

Low NRI and low HGS are independent prognostic indicators in cancer cachexia. The combination of NRI and HGS improve prognostic stratification for patients with cancer cachexia. Our study suggests combining nutritional and physical status in future cachexia research.

Impact of prognostic nutritional index on survival in recurrent glioblastoma

BACKGROUND

Primary brain tumors are relatively rare malignancy, with high-grade gliomas (glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic gliomas) are the most common types. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), which is calculated by lymphocyte count and albumin, in recurrent glioblastoma patients treated with systemic treatment.

METHODS

Data of 64 patients with recurrent glioblastoma who received systemic treatment and followed in our clinic between 2012 and 2018 was retrospectively collected and analyzed. PNI was calculated as: [(10×serum albumin (g/dL))+(0.005×total lymphocyte count)]. Patients were categorized according to the median PNI value. We investigated the prognostic role of PNI groups, and survival outcomes.

RESULTS

Median value of PNI was 45.7, and median follow-up duration was 9 months (1-68 months). Median overall survival (OS) was 7.9 months (95%CI: 5.5-10.4). Median OS was significantly longer in patients with PNI>45.7 compared to patients with PNI≤45.7 (13.9 months (95%CI: 10.5-17.4), and 4.6 months (95%CI: 2.5-6.8), p<0.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, PNI was found to be an independent prognostic factor for OS [HR:0.41 (95%CI:0.22-0.74), p=0.03)].

CONCLUSION

In our study, the PNI was found to be an independent prognostic biomarker in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, but further prospective trials are necessary to validate its prognostic role.

Optimal Reconstruction After Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Objectives

Although laparoscopic distal gastrectomy has been widely used for distal gastric cancer, the best functional reconstruction type has not yet been established. Based on previous experience, we propose a modified uncut Roux-en-Y anastomosis. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of different intracorporeal anastomoses after laparoscopic distal gastrectomy.

Methods

From April 2015 to August 2020, the data of 215 patients who underwent laparoscopic distal gastrectomy was collected. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to the digestive tract reconstruction method, Billroth-I, Billroth-II, Roux-en-Y, and the modified uncut Roux-en-Y. Clinicopathologic characteristics, surgery details, short-term outcomes, and postoperative nutritional status were analyzed.

Results

The operation time of Billroth-I anastomosis was significantly shorter (216.2 ± 25.8 min, P < .001) than that of other methods. There was no difference in postoperative complications and OS among the 4 reconstruction methods. The incidences of esophagitis, gastritis, and bile reflux were significantly lower in the Roux-en-Y and uncut Roux-en-Y group (P < .001) 1 year after surgery. And the postoperative albumin and PNI levels in uncut Roux-en-Y group were higher than those in other groups(P < .05). On multivariate analysis, age and reconstruction type were independently related to esophagitis, gastritis, and bile reflux. Serum albumin and the prognostic nutritional index were significantly higher in the uncut Roux-en-Y group than other groups (P < .05).

Conclusions

All 4 reconstruction techniques are feasible and safe. The Roux-en-Y and uncut Roux-en-Y are superior to Billroth-Ⅰ and Billroth-Ⅱ+Braun in terms of reflux esophagitis, gastritis, and bile reflux. Uncut Roux-en-Y may result in better PNI than the others.

Preoperative nutritional score predicts underlying liver status and surgical risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Given the scarce evidence regarding the impact of preoperative nutritional status on surgical outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, predictive powers of nutritional/inflammatory scores for short-term surgical outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were investigated.

METHODS

Outcomes of 1272 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were reviewed, and predictive powers of nine nutritional/inflammatory scores for short-term surgical outcomes were compared using the receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. Clinical relevance of the best nutritional score was then studied in detail to clarify its utility as an alternative predictive measure for surgical risk of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

RESULTS

Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed the controlling nutritional status score has the best performance in prediction of morbidity after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (area under the curve, 0.593; 95% confidence interval: 0.552-0.635; p < 0.001), and multivariate analysis confirmed its correlation with the risk of any morbidity (odds ratio per +1 point, 1.17; 95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.27; p < 0.001) and major morbidity (odds ratio per +1 point, 1.14; 95% confidence interval: 0.99-1.27; p = 0.052). The undernutrition grade based on the controlling nutritional status score showed strong correlation with the degree of fibrosis in the liver (p < 0.001), platelet count (p < 0.001), and indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min (p < 0.001). In addition, the controlling nutritional status undernutrition grade well stratified the risk of postoperative morbidity especially in cirrhotic subpopulation (odds ratio, 1.17 per +1 point; 95% confidence interval: 1.05-1.29 for any morbidity and odds ratio, 1.20 per +1 point; 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.40 for major morbidity).

CONCLUSIONS

The controlling nutritional status score could be an alternative measure for underlying liver injury and the surgical risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Prognostic Nutritional Index and CRP, age, platelet count, albumin level score in predicting mortality and intensive care unit admission for COVID-19

Aim: In our study, we investigated the efficiency of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) score and the CRP, age, platelet count, albumin level (CAPA) score predicting mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission in COVID-19 disease. Materials & methods: PNI and CAPA score of patients confirmed with COVID-19 calculated by using the complete blood count and biochemical parameters at admission to the hospital, in predicting the COVID-19-associated mortality and ICU admission were analyzed. Results: PNI and CAPA scores in predicting mortality were detected as AUC: 0.67 (p < 0.001), AUC: 0.71 (p < 0.001), respectively. For predicting ICU admission AUC was 0.66 (p < 0.001), AUC was 0.77 (p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: PNI and CAPA scores are effective scores in COVID-19, with CAPA score being better in predicting mortality and ICU admission.

Nutritional care in colorectal cancer-what is the state of play?

AIM

Nutrition is associated with aetiology and impacts outcomes in colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to explore nutritional symptoms and concerns of patients with CRC and CRC dietetic resource across the UK.

METHODS

Study 1 is a descriptive analysis of nutrition-related measures in the ColoRectal Wellbeing (CREW) study, a prospective 5-year longitudinal cohort study of a representative sample of 872 adults with non-metastatic CRC. Study 2 is a descriptive analysis of data collected using a freedom of information request to all UK trusts/boards on dietetic resources for CRC.

RESULTS

Study 1 found that 31% of CREW participants wanted more diet and lifestyle advice. At 3 months post-surgery, 10% reported poor appetite. A fifth experienced weight loss and 16% had concerns regarding weight loss 9 months post-surgery. In study 2 just 3% of hospitals providing CRC services had a dedicated CRC dietitian (hepato-pancreato-biliary, 11.1%; head and neck cancer, 14.3%). There was no dietetic outpatient follow-up of CRC patients in 72% of hospitals.

CONCLUSIONS

Dietetic resource for patients with CRC is scarce even though weight loss, poor appetite and unmet needs are common and persist over time. Work is needed to embed nutritional care into the management of patients with CRC.

Preoperative malnutrition in patients with colorectal cancer

Preoperative malnutrition in patients with colorectal cancer is associated with several postoperative consequences and poorer prognosis. Currently, there is a lack of a universal screening tool to assess nutritional status, and intervention to treat preoperative malnutrition is often neglected. This review summarizes and compares preoperative screening and interventional tools to help providers optimize malnourished patients with colorectal cancer for surgery. We found that nutritional screenings, such as the Subjectibe Global Assessment, Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, Prognostic Nutritional Index, Nutrition Risk Index, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool, Nutrition Risk Screening 2002, Nutrition Risk Score, serum albumin, and prealbumin, have all effectively predicted postoperative outcome. Physicians should consider which of these tools best fits their needs based on the their mode of assessment, efficiency, and specified parameters. Additionally, preoperative nutritional support, such as trimodal prehabilitation, modified peripheral parenteral nutrition, and N-3 fatty acid and arginine supplementation, which have also benefited patients postoperatively, ought to be implemented appropriately according to their ease of execution. Given the high prevalence of preoperative malnutrition in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer, it is essential that health care providers assess and treat this malnutrition to reduce postoperative complications and length of hospital stay, and to improve prognosis to augment a patient’s quality of care.

Peripheral Lymphocyte Subsets Absolute Counts as Feasible Clinical Markers for Predicting Surgical Outcome in Gastric Cancer Patients After Laparoscopic D2 Gastrectomy: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background

Immune function influenced patients’ recovery from major abdominal surgery. The aim of this study is to explore the clinical feasibility of peripheral lymphocyte absolute counts for predicting short-term surgical outcomes in gastric cancer patients after laparoscopic D2 gastrectomy.

Methods

This is a prospective cohort study from a single tertiary referral hospital. Patients diagnosed with gastric cancer who met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. We collected the demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of included patients. We monitored perioperative dynamics of absolute counts of peripheral lymphocyte subsets. Predictive factors for length of postoperative hospital stay and complications were investigated in univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

A total of 137 gastric cancer patients were included. Decreased preoperative absolute counts of peripheral lymphocyte subsets were correlated with advanced clinical stage. In multivariate analysis, independent predictive factors for prolonged hospital stay were age (p=0.04), decreased preoperative B cell counts (p=0.05), decreased preoperative NK cell counts (p=0.05) and complications (p<0.01). For postoperative complication, independent predictive factors were age (p=0.02), operation time (p=0.05), lymphocyte to C-reactive protein ratio (p=0.01) and decreased preoperative B cell counts (p=0.01).

Conclusion

Our findings for the first time revealed that absolute counts of peripheral lymphocyte subsets are independent predictive factors for surgical outcomes in gastric cancer patients after D2 gastrectomy. We suggested that patients with impaired immune state should receive both preoperative immune modulator and nutritional support.

Prognostic Nutritional Index Considering Resection Range Is Useful for Predicting Postoperative Morbidity of Hepatectomy

BACKGROUND

Poor preoperative nutritional and immunological status are major risk factors for postoperative complications in patients with various malignancies. Lower preoperative prognostic nutrition index (PNI) is associated with higher rates of postoperative complications and poorer prognosis in those patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the predictive value of the PNI for post-hepatectomy complications in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and evaluate its utility in the surgical procedure.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 510 patients who underwent open hepatectomies for HCC. The predictive value of the preoperative nutritional and immunological status for postoperative complications was assessed using the PNI. Postoperative complications were defined as grade II or higher per the Clavien-Dindo classification. Postoperative complication rates were compared according to surgical procedure (major hepatectomy vs minor hepatectomy).

RESULTS

Patients with postoperative complications had significantly lower PNIs than those without (43.1 ± 5.5 vs 47.0 ± 5.7, P < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, low preoperative PNI (< 45) was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications after hepatectomy (hazard ratio, 3.85). When patients were classified per their PNI (high vs low) and extent of surgical procedures (major vs minor), there were more complications among patients with low PNI than those with high PNI, regardless of the extent of surgical procedures. Specifically, the group of patients with low PNI who underwent major hepatectomy had significantly higher rates of postoperative complications than the other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Adding the resection range to the PNI is useful for predicting the postoperative morbidities of hepatectomy patients.

Sixty-Day Mortality of Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Randomized to Systemic Treatment vs Primary Tumor Resection Followed by Systemic Treatment: The CAIRO4 Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

The role of primary tumor resection (PTR) in synchronous patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who had unresectable metastases and few or absent symptoms of their primary tumor is unclear. Studying subgroups with low postoperative mortality may identify patients who potentially benefit from PTR.

Objective

To determine the difference in 60-day mortality between patients randomized to systemic treatment only vs PTR followed by systemic treatment, and to explore risk factors associated with 60-day mortality.

Design, Setting, and Participants

CAIRO4 is a randomized phase 3 trial initiated in 2012 in which patients with mCRC were randomized to systemic treatment only or PTR followed by systemic treatment with palliative intent. This multicenter study was conducted by the Danish and Dutch Colorectal Cancer Group in general and academic hospitals in Denmark and the Netherlands. Patients included between August 2012 and December 2019 with histologically proven colorectal cancer, unresectable metastases, and a primary tumor with few or absent symptoms were eligible.

Interventions

Systemic treatment, consisting of fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy with bevacizumab vs PTR followed by fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy with bevacizumab.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The aim of the current analysis was to compare 60-day mortality rates in both treatment arms. A secondary aim was the identification of risk factors for 60-day mortality in the treatment arms. These aims were not predefined in the study protocol.

Results

A total of 196 patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis (112 [57%] men; median [IQR] age, 65 [59-70] years). Sixty-day mortality was 3% (95% CI, 1%-9%) in the systemic treatment arm and 11% (95% CI, 6%-19%) in the PTR arm (P = .03). In a per-protocol analysis, 60-day mortality was 2% (95% CI, 1%-7%) vs 10% (95% CI, 5%-18%; P = .048). Patients with elevated serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and/or neutrophils who were randomized to PTR had a significantly higher 60-day mortality than patients without these characteristics.

Conclusions and Relevance

Patients with mCRC who were randomized to PTR followed by systemic treatment had a higher 60-day mortality than patients randomized to systemic treatment. Especially patients randomized to the PTR arm with elevated serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase, neutrophils, aspartate aminotransferase, and/or alanine aminotransferase were at high risk of postoperative mortality. Final study results on overall survival have to be awaited.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01606098.

Postoperative Nutritional Status is Predictive of the Survival Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Resection of Stage III Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Preoperative nutritional status is reportedly associated with the clinical outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), although it remains inconclusive whether the preoperative nutritional status that may improve after surgery is truly predictive of the survival outcomes of patients with CRC.

METHODS

Clinical records of patients with stage III CRC (n = 821) in whom curative resection had been achieved were retrospectively reviewed and the prognostic impact of nutritional status, determined by the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score, was analyzed.

RESULTS

The CONUT undernutrition grade was significantly associated with the overall survival rate (OS) in the original population (P < 0.0001). By adopting a cut-off value of CONUT score of ≥ 2 and adjustment for clinical variables using the inverse probability treatment weighting methods, the group with a preoperative CONUT score of ≥ 2 showed a worse OS as compared to the groups with a preoperative CONUT score of < 2 (P = 0.037). However, sub-analysis based on the dynamic changes in the CONUT score revealed that sustained malnutrition in the postoperative period was more frequent among patients with preoperative CONUT score of ≥ 2, and that the OS and recurrence-free survival rate (RFS) were significantly correlated with the "postoperative" nutritional status, irrespective of the preoperative nutritional status. Patients who showed improvements of the nutritional status after surgery showed a significantly longer OS and RFS.

CONCLUSIONS

Sustained undernutrition or worsening of the nutritional status after colectomy may be associated with a worse OS and RFS after curative resection in patients with stage III CRC.

Prognostic significance of preoperative PNI and CA19-9 for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A multi-institutional retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical value of nutritional and immunological prognostic scores as predictors of outcomes and to identify the most promising scoring system for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in a multi-institutional study.

METHODS

Data were retrospectively collected for 589 patients who underwent surgical resection for PDAC. Prognostic analyses were performed for overall (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) using tumor and patient-related factors, namely neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), modified GPS, C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio, Controlling Nutritional Status score, and the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index.

RESULTS

Compared with PDAC patients with high PNI values (≥46), low PNI (<46) patients showed significantly worse overall survival (OS) (multivariate hazard ratio (HR), 1.432; 95% CI, 1.069-1.918; p = 0.0161) and RFS (multivariate HR, 1.339; 95% CI, 1.032-1.736; p = 0.0277). High carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) values (≥450) were significantly correlated with shorter OS (multivariate HR, 1.520; 95% CI, 1.261-2.080; p = 0.0002) and RFS (multivariate HR, 1.533; 95% CI, 1.199-1.961; p = 0.0007). Stratification according to PNI and CA19-9 was also significantly associated with OS and RFS (log rank, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our large cohort study showed that PNI and CA19-9 were associated with poor clinical outcomes in PDAC patients following surgical resection. Additionally, combining PNI with CA19-9 enabled further classification of patients according to their clinical outcomes.

Preoperative Nutritional Scores as Host-Related Prognostic Factors for Both Overall Survival and Postoperative Complications in Patients With Stage II to III Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

In the TNM eighth edition, nutritional status and inflammatory scores are newly described as host-related prognostic factors for esophageal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and pancreatic cancer. However, only age and race are listed as host-related prognostic factors for colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of nutritional and inflammatory scores for postoperative outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.

DESIGN

This was a retrospective study using a database that prospectively collects data.

SETTINGS

The study was conducted at a high-volume multidisciplinary tertiary cancer center in Japan.

PATIENTS

Study participants were 1880 consecutive patients with stage II to III colorectal cancer who underwent curative resection at the National Cancer Center Hospital between 2004 and 2012. Two nutritional scores (prognostic nutritional index and controlling nutritional status score) and 4 inflammatory scores (modified Glasgow prognostic score, neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio, platelet:lymphocyte ratio, and C-reactive protein:albumin ratio) were calculated.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Correlations of nutritional scores and inflammatory scores with overall survival and postoperative complications were measured.

RESULTS

After adjusting for key clinical and pathologic factors by multivariable analysis, 2 nutritional scores (prognostic nutritional index and controlling nutritional status score) and 2 inflammatory scores (neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio and C-reactive protein:albumin ratio) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. With respect to discriminative ability, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves and Harrell concordance index revealed that prognostic nutritional index and controlling nutritional status score were superior to the 4 inflammatory scores for predicting overall survival. Multivariable logistic regression analyses also revealed that prognostic nutritional index, controlling nutritional status score, and C-reactive protein:albumin ratio were independent predictors for postoperative complications.

LIMITATIONS

The retrospective design of the study was a limitation.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative nutritional scores are promising host-related prognostic factors for overall survival and postoperative complications in patients with stage II and III colorectal cancer. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B587.

EVALUACIN DE SCORE NUTRICIONALES PREOPERATORIOS COMO FACTORES PRONSTICOS PARA SOBREVIDA Y COMPLICACIONES POSTOPERATORIAS EN PACIENTES CON CANCER COLORECTAL ETAPA II Y III

ANTECEDENTES:En las últimas etapificaciones T-N-M, tanto el estado nutricional como inflamatorio han sido descritos como factores pronósticos en cáncer de esófago, hepático y pancreático. Sin embargo en cáncer colorectal solo la edad y la raza son enumerados como factores pronósticos.OBJETIVO:Evaluar la importancia pronóstica de los scores nutricionales e inflamatorias para los resultados posoperatorios en pacientes con cáncer colorrectal.DISEÑO:Estudio retrospectivo utilizando una base de datos.AJUSTE:Centro oncológico teciario en Japón.PACIENTES:Fueron incluidos en el estudio 1880 pacientes, consecutivos, con cancer colorectal etapa II y III sometidos a reseeción curativa en el National Cancer Center Hospital entre 2004 y 2012. Se aplicaron dos scores: nutricional (índice nutricional pronóstico y puntuación del estado nutricional) e inflamatorias (Glasgow modificada, proporción de neutrófilos a linfocitos, de plaquetas a linfocitos y de proteína C reactiva a albúmina).PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO:Evaluar scores nutricional e inflamatorio con sobrevida y complicaciones postoperatoria.RESULTADOS:Después de ajustar los factores clínicos y patológicos clave mediante análisis multivariable, dos scores nutricionales (índice nutricional pronóstico y puntuación del estado nutricional de control) y dos inflamatorias (proporción de neutrófilos a linfocitos y proporción de proteína C reactiva a albúmina) fueron pronósticos independientes factores para la sobrevida. Con respecto a la capacidad discriminativa, las curvas de características operativas del receptor, dependientes del tiempo y el índice de concordancia de Harrell, revelaron que el índice nutricional pronóstico y del estado nutricional de control eran superiores a las cuatro inflamatorias para predecir la sobrevida general. Los análisis de regresión logística multivariable también revelaron que el índice nutricional pronóstico, el estado nutricional de control y la relación proteína C reactiva / albúmina fueron predictores independientes de complicaciones postoperatorias.LIMITACIONES:Estudio de tipo retrospectivo.CONCLUSIONES:Los scores nutricionales preoperatorias son factores pronósticos prometedores relacionados con la sobrevida y las complicaciones postoperatorias en pacientes con cáncer colorrectal en estadio II y III. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B587.

Preoperative prognostic nutritional index level is associated with tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte status in patients with surgically resected lung squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is an indicator of systemic immune-nutritional condition and is a well-known prognostic biomarker in lung cancer patients. Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is a specific histological feature of cancers, influencing an individual's immunological tumour responses. However, whether PNI can reflect lung cancer patients' prognosis through local immunity such as TIL is unclear.

METHODS

We selected 64 lung squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent curative operations. We investigated the significance of preoperative PNI level and evaluated the relationship between PNI and immune cells surrounding the lung cancer tissue using immunohistochemical analysis of a cluster of differentiation (CD)3, CD4, CD8 and CD68.

RESULTS

A low-PNI level was significantly associated with a worse postoperative prognosis (P = 0.042). The PNI (hazard ratio 2.768, 95% confidence interval 1.320-5.957; P = 0.007) was an independent prognostic factor. The low-PNI group had a significantly shorter recurrence-free survival and overall survival (P = 0.013 and P = 0.002, log-rank test) compared with the high-PNI group. A significant positive correlation between PNI components including preoperative peripheral blood lymphocyte count and serum albumin concentration, and TILs, was observed. Absolute numbers of TILs in the preoperative high-PNI group were significantly increased compared with those in the preoperative low-PNI group (CD3+ cells; P = 0.002, CD4+ cells; P = 0.049 and CD8+ cells; P = 0.024).

CONCLUSIONS

The preoperative PNI level was strongly associated with the postoperative outcome in lung cancer patients. Considering the positive relationship between preoperative PNI level and TIL status, preoperative immune-nutritional condition may influence lung cancer patients' postoperative prognosis through local immunity as well as systemic immune response.

Comparison of systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), early warning score (ANDC) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in hospitalized patients with malignancy, and their influence on mortality from COVID-19

Introduction

We evaluated several biological indicators based on inflammation and/or nutritional status, such as systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), early warning score (ANDC) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with and without malignancies for a prognostic significance.

Methodology

This is a retrospective and observational study on 186 patients with SARS-CoV-2, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 by real-time PCR testing and hospitalized due to COVID-19 pneumonia. 75 patients had various malignancies, and the rest (111), having a similar age and comorbidity profile based on propensity score matching, had no malignancy.

Results

None of the measures as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, platelet to lymphocyte ratio, monocyte to lymphocyte ratio, SII, PNI or ANDC was found to be significantly different between two groups. Odds ratio for the mortality, OR 2.39 (%95 CI 1.80–3.16) was found to be significantly higher for the malignancy group, even though the duration of hospitalization was statistically similar for both groups. PNI was found to be significantly lower for deceased patients compared with survivors in the malignancy group. Contrarily, ANDC was found to be significantly higher for deceased patients in the malignancy group.

Conclusions

PNI and ANDC have independent predictive power on determining the in-hospital death in COVID-19 malignancy cases. It is suggested that ANDC seems to be a more sensitive score than SII in COVID-19 cases with malignancies.

Postoperative controlling nutritional status score is an independent risk factor of survival for patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score has been widely used to evaluate the nutritional and immunological status. Clinical value of postoperative CONUT (PoCONUT) score in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. This study assessed whether PoCONUT score could serve as a useful predictor of survival for patients with small HCC.

METHODS

547 consecutive patients with small HCC who underwent liver resection between February 2007 and December 2015 were included in this retrospective case-control study. Patients were categorized into two groups: low PoCONUT group (PoCONUT score ≤ 2, n = 382) and high PoCONUT group (PoCONUT score ≥ 3, n = 165). Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was applied to balance the bias in baseline characteristics. A cumulative survival curve was established by the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences in OS and RFS among CONUT score groups were determined by the log rank test. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of PoCONUT score and overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), with calculation of hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs).

RESULTS

Cox proportional hazard regression analysis suggested that the PoCONUT score was an independent risk factor for both OS and RFS in patients with small HCC before and after PSM.

CONCLUSIONS

High PoCONUT score helps to predict worse OS and RFS in patients with small HCC who underwent liver resection.

Usefulness of Smartphone Apps for Improving Nutritional Status of Pancreatic Cancer Patients: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Approximately 80% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients suffer from anorexia, weight loss, and asthenia. Most PDAC patients receive chemotherapy, which often worsens their nutritional status owing to the adverse effects of chemotherapy. Malnutrition of PDAC patients is known to be associated with poor prognosis; therefore, nutritional management during chemotherapy is a key factor influencing the outcome of the treatment. Mobile apps have the potential to provide readily accessible nutritional support for patients with PDAC.

Objective

We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a mobile app–based program, Noom, in patients receiving chemotherapy for PDAC.

Methods

We prospectively enrolled 40 patients who were newly diagnosed with unresectable PDAC from a single university-affiliated hospital in South Korea, and randomly assigned them into a Noom user group (n=20) and a non-Noom user group (n=20). The 12-week in-app interventions included meal and physical activity logging as well as nutritional education feedback from dietitians. The non-Noom user group did not receive any nutrition intervention. The primary outcomes were the changes in the nutritional status and quality of life (QoL) from the baseline to 12 weeks. The secondary outcomes included the changes in the skeletal muscle index (SMI) from the baseline to 12 weeks. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) were used as paper questionnaires to assess the QoL and nutritional status of the patients. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were conducted. Regarding the study data collection time points, we assessed the nutritional status and QoL at the baseline (T0), and at 4 (T1), 8 (T2), and 12 (T3) weeks. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) imaging was conducted at the baseline and after 8 weeks for tumor response and SMI evaluation. The skeletal muscle area (cm²) was calculated using routine CT images. The cross-sectional areas (cm²) of the L3 skeletal muscles were analyzed.

Results

Between February 2017 and January 2018, 48 patients were assessed for eligibility. Totally 40 patients with pancreatic cancer were included by random allocation. Only 17 participants in the Noom user group and 16 in the non-Noom user group completed all follow-ups. All the study participants showed a significant improvement in the nutritional status according to the PG-SGA score regardless of Noom app usage. Noom users showed statistically significant improvements on the global health status (GHS) and QoL scales compared to non-Noom users, based on the EORTC QLQ (P=.004). The SMI decreased in both groups during chemotherapy (Noom users, 49.08±12.27 cm²/m² to 46.08±10.55 cm²/m²; non-Noom users, 50.60±9.05 cm²/m² to 42.97±8.12 cm²/m²). The decrement was higher in the non-Noom user group than in the Noom user group, but it was not statistically significant (-13.96% vs. -3.27%; P=.11).

Conclusions

This pilot study demonstrates that a mobile app–based approach is beneficial for nutritional and psychological support for PDAC patients receiving chemotherapy.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04109495; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04109495.

Role of Inflammatory and Immune-Nutritional Prognostic Markers in Patients Undergoing Surgical Resection for Biliary Tract Cancers

Simple Summary

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a heterogeneous group of malignancies, which arise from the epithelial cells of the biliary tree, with a high rate of local invasion and metastatic spreading. Surgical resection remains the treatment which offers the best chance of long-term survival. However, new chemotherapy regimens and multimodal strategies have showed encouraging results, supporting the need for simple and readily available preoperative tools able to predict survival and guide the treatment strategy. Recently, the prognostic role of several nutritional and inflammatory indexes in growth, biological aggressiveness, and spread has been investigated in different types of cancers. Nevertheless, complete and conclusive results on BTCs are lacking. By identifying a preoperative immune and inflammatory prognostic index based on simple routine blood samples, we may have an additional element that is useful in guiding the treatment strategy by assigning selected patients to preoperative or postoperative treatments despite pathological results.

Abstract

The relationship between immune-nutritional status and tumor growth; biological aggressiveness and survival, is still debated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the prognostic performance of different inflammatory and immune-nutritional markers in patients who underwent surgery for biliary tract cancer (BTC). The prognostic role of the following inflammatory and immune-nutritional markers were investigated: Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS), Prognostic Index (PI), Neutrophil to Lymphocyte ratio (NLR), Platelet to Lymphocyte ratio (PLR), Lymphocyte to Monocyte ratio (LMR), Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI). A total of 282 patients undergoing surgery for BTC were included. According to Cox regression and ROC curves analysis for survival, LMR had the best prognostic performances, with hazard ratio (HR) of 1.656 (p = 0.005) and AUC of 0.652. Multivariable survival analysis identified the following independent prognostic factors: type of BTC (p = 0.002), T stage (p = 0.014), N stage (p < 0.001), histological grading (p = 0.045), and LMR (p = 0.025). Conversely, PNI was related to higher risk of severe morbidity (p < 0.001) and postoperative mortality (p = 0.005). In conclusion, LMR appears an independent prognostic factor of long-term survival, whilst PNI seems associated with worse short-term outcomes.

Impact of a Geriatric Intervention to Improve Screening and Management of Undernutrition in Older Patients Undergoing Surgery for Colorectal Cancer: Results of the ANC Stepped-Wedge Trial

Almost two in three patients who are aged 75 years and older and scheduled for surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC) are undernourished. Despite evidence that perioperative nutritional management can improve patients outcomes, international guidelines are still insufficiently applied in current practice. In this stepped-wedge cluster-randomized study of five surgical hospitals, we included 147 patients aged 70 years or older with scheduled abdominal surgery for CRC between October 2013 and December 2016. In the intervention condition, an outreach team comprising a geriatrician and a dietician visited patients and staff in surgical wards to assist with the correct application of guidelines. Evaluation, diagnosis, and prescription (according to nutritional status) were considered appropriate and strictly consistent with guidelines in 39.2% of patients in the intervention group compared to only 1.4% in the control group (p = 0.0002). Prescription of oral nutritional supplements during the perioperative period was significantly improved (41.9% vs. 4.1%; p < 0.0001). However, there were no benefits of the intervention on surgical complications or adverse events. A possible benefit of hospital stay reduction will need to be confirmed in further studies. This study highlights the importance of the implementation of quality improvement interventions into current practice for the perioperative nutritional management of older patients with CRC.

Perioperative digital behaviour change interventions for reducing alcohol consumption, improving dietary intake, increasing physical activity and smoking cessation: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests that unhealthy lifestyle behaviours are modifiable risk factors for postoperative complications. Digital behaviour change interventions (DBCIs), for instance text messaging programs and smartphone apps, have shown promise in achieving lifestyle behaviour change in a wide range of clinical populations, and it may therefore be possible to reduce postoperative complications by supporting behaviour change perioperatively using digital interventions. This scoping review was conducted in order to identify existing research done in the area of perioperative DBCIs for reducing alcohol consumption, improving dietary intake, increasing physical activity and smoking cessation.

MAIN TEXT

This scoping review included eleven studies covering a range of surgeries: bariatric, orthopaedic, cancer, transplantation and elective surgery. The studies were both randomised controlled trials and feasibility studies and investigated a diverse set of interventions: one game, three smartphone apps, one web-based program and five text message interventions. Feasibility studies reported user acceptability and satisfaction with the behaviour change support. Engagement data showed participation rates ranged from 40 to 90%, with more participants being actively engaged early in the intervention period. In conclusion, the only full-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT), text messaging ahead of bariatric surgery did not reveal any benefits with respect to adherence to preoperative exercise advice when compared to a control group. Two of the pilot studies, one text message intervention, one game, indicated change in a positive direction with respect to alcohol and tobacco outcomes, but between group comparisons were not done due to small sample sizes. The third pilot-study, a smartphone app, found between group changes for physical activity and alcohol, but not with respect to smoking cessation outcomes.

CONCLUSION

This review found high participant satisfaction, but shows recruitment and timing-delivery issues, as well as low retention to interventions post-surgery. Small sample sizes and the use of a variety of feasibility outcome measures prevent the synthesis of results and makes generalisation difficult. Future research should focus on defining standardised outcome measures, enhancing patient engagement and improving adherence to behaviour change prior to scheduled surgery.

Psoas muscle mass, nutritional status, inflammation, and their relationship with prognosis in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma

INTRODUCTION

some factors have been shown to be associated with survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Recently, some studies suggested that malnutrition, muscle mass, and inflammation might have an effect on survival in patients with pancreatic malignancy.

OBJECTIVES

to investigate the association between psoas muscle mass, inflammation, nutritional status at the time of diagnosis, and survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

this retrospective study included 219 patients diagnosed with pancreatic carcinoma. The nutritional status, inflammation, and psoas muscle mass of the patients at the time of diagnosis were evaluated. Nutritional status was assessed using the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI). Leucocyte count and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were used for inflammation assessment. Psoas muscle mass was calculated by using abdominal computed tomography images of the patients.

RESULTS

the mean age of patients (80 female and 139 male) was 66.6 ± 11.7 years. According to the PNI results, 155 patients had a normal nutritional status (70 %), whereas 64 patients were malnourished (30 %). The survival of the patients with normal nutritional status was significantly longer than that of those who were malnourished (p < 0.001). There was no significant relationship between psoas muscle area, leucocyte count, NLR, and survival time.

CONCLUSION

the survival of pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients with malnutrition at the time of diagnosis was significantly shorter than for patients without malnutrition.

The Impact of Prehabilitation on Patient Outcomes in Hepatobiliary, Colorectal, and Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: A PRISMA-Accordant Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To determine the impact of prehabilitation on hospital length of stay, functional capacity, complications, and mortality after surgery in patients with hepatobiliary, colorectal, and upper gastrointestinal cancer.

BACKGROUND

"Prehabilitation" encompasses exercise, nutrition, and psychosocial interventions to optimize health before surgery. The benefits of prehabilitation are ill-defined.

METHODS

Medline, Embase and Cochrane Databases were searched systematically for the terms "prehabilitation AND exercise," "perioperative care AND cancer surgery," and "colorectal AND hepatobiliary AND hepatopancreatobiliary AND esophagogastric AND recovery AND outcomes." Primary outcomes analyzed were hospital length of stay, functional capacity, significant postoperative complications (Clavien Dindo ≥ III), and mortality. A meta-analysis was conducted on the effect of all-modality prehabilitation for patients with colorectal, hepatopancreatobiliary and upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery using the raw mean difference, risk difference, and a random-effects model.

RESULTS

Three hundred and seventy seven original titles were identified. Fifteen studies (randomized controlled trials; n = 9 and uncontrolled trials; n = 6) were included in the meta-analysis. Prehabilitation reduced hospital length of stay by 1.78 days versus standard care (95% CI: -3.36, -0.20, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in functional capacity with prehabilitation determined using the 6-minute walk test (P = 0.816) and no significant reduction in postoperative complications (P = 0.378) or mortality rates (P = 0.114).

CONCLUSIONS

Prehabilitation was associated with reduced hospital length of stay but had no effect on functional capacity, postoperative complications, or mortality rates. Thus, prehabilitation should be recommended to accelerate recovery from cancer surgery, demonstrated by reduced hospital length of stay.

The Relationship Between Preoperative Systemic Immune Inflammation Index and Prognostic Nutritional Index and the Prognosis of Patients With Alveolar Hydatid Disease

BACKGROUND

To explore the relationship between the preoperative immune inflammation index (SII) and the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and the overall survival rate (OS) of patients with alveolar hydatid disease.

METHODS

The clinical data of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis treated by surgery in the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University from January 2015 to January 2019 were analyzed retrospectively, and the SII, PNI, PLR and NLR were calculated. Spearman correlation analysis was utilized to analyze the correlation among SII, PNI, PLR and NLR. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was utilized to determine the best intercept values of SII, PNI, PLR and NLR, and Chi-square test was used to evaluate the relationship between SII, PNI and various clinicopathological features in patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. The kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curves and analyze the relationship between them and the total survival time of patients. A cox regression model was used to analyze the relationship between SII, PNI and the prognosis of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. Finally, ROC curve was used to estimate the predictive efficacy of SII, PNI and COSII-PNI for the prognosis of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.

RESULTS

A total of 242 patients were included, including 96 males and 146 females, aged 11.0-67.0 (36.6 ± 11.7) years. The values of SII, PNI, PLR and NLR are calculated, and the best truncation values of SII, PNI, PLR and NLR are given in ROC curve. The kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the relationship between SII, PNI, PLR, NLR and the overall survival time of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. The results showed that the median follow-up time was 45 months (95%CI: 39.484-50.516), and the average survival time was 49 months (95%CI: 47.300-51.931), which was low p<0.001); The 5-year OS rate of low PNI was significantly lower than that of high PNI group (37.7% vs 71.6%; p<0.001); The 5-year OS rate in low PLR group was significantly higher than that in high PLR group (70.4% vs 24.3%; p<0.001); The 5-year OS rate in low NLR group was significantly higher than that in high NLR group (67.2% vs 28.8%; p<0.001). Cox unifoliate analysis showed that SII, PNI, PLR and NLR were important prognostic factors related to OS. Cox multivariate analysis showed that SII(HR=4.678, 95% CI: 2.581-8.480, P<0.001) and PNI(HR=0.530, 95%CI: 0.305-0.920, P<0.05) were identified as independent risk indicators of OS, while NL was identified as independent risk indicators of OS ROC curve analysis showed that AUC of SII, PNI, PLR, NLR and COSII-PNI were 0.670(95%CI: 0.601-0.738), 0.638(95%CI: 0.561-0.716) and 0.618(95% CI: 0.541-0.694), respectively COSII-PNI is superior to SII and PNI in evaluating prognosis (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

SII and PNI can be regarded as independent risk factors reflecting the prognosis of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. The lower SII and the higher PNI before operation, the better the prognosis of patients, and the combined application of SII and PNI before operation can improve the accuracy of prediction.

Predictive impact of prognostic nutritional index in early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma after operative microwave ablation

BACKGROUND

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is used to assess immune and nutritional status, and is a prognostic factor for several malignant tumors. However, little evidence exists regarding the predictive impact of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) after local ablation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of PNI to predict recurrence and survival after operative microwave ablation in patients with early-stage HCC.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 341 patients who underwent operative microwave ablation for HCC in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0-A at our institute between 2007 and 2015. We analyzed overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), and evaluated factors related to prognosis in multivariate Cox regression analyses.

RESULTS

The OS rates at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years after microwave ablation were 100%, 92.7%, 85.1%, and 57.5% in patients with high-PNI levels, and 96.5%, 78.2%, 59.7%, and 20.7% in patients with low-PNI levels, respectively (P < 0.001). The RFS rates at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years after microwave ablation were 96.3%, 75.2%, 55.4%, and 30.4% in patients with high-PNI levels, and 94.4%, 48.8%, 36.4%, and 13.1% in patients with low-PNI levels, respectively (P < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, preoperative PNI level was an independent prognostic factor for both OS and RFS.

CONCLUSION

Our results revealed the preoperative PNI level was a simple and novel predictive marker of survival and recurrence after microwave ablation in patients with early-stage HCC.

Preoperative nutritional status impacts clinical outcome and hospital length of stay in pelvic exenteration patients - a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Preoperative malnutrition is common in surgical oncology patients and can have negative effects on postoperative outcomes. Pelvic exenteration is major surgery associated with high morbidity rates. Associations between preoperative malnutrition, determined using the patient-generated subjective global assessment, and postoperative outcomes in this patient cohort has not yet been investigated.

AIM

To determine if preoperative nutritional status is associated with postoperative surgical and quality of life (QoL) outcomes after pelvic exenteration surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a quaternary hospital investigating 123 patients who had pelvic exenteration surgery from January 2017 to August 2019. Preoperative nutritional status and postoperative surgical and QoL outcomes were collected and analysed to determine any associations.

RESULTS

Overall, 49.6% of patients were female with a median age of 59 years. Forty patients (32.5%) were malnourished and 83 (67.5%) were well nourished before surgery. Well-nourished patients had a shorter length of hospital stay (p = 0.034) and at 6 months post-surgery, presented with a significantly better physical and mental QoL score (p = 0.038 and p = 0.001 respectively). The regression analyses showed that intensive care unit (ICU) readmission rates were 7.19 times more likely to occur in malnourished patients (p = 0.022).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative malnutrition is associated with increased length of stay, ICU readmissions and poorer QoL following pelvic exenteration. Nutrition screening, assessment and optimisation of management are essential in this patient cohort to improve patient outcomes. Future studies are needed to measure the effect of interventions and identify the most beneficial model of care for this complex patient group.

Nutritional Risk Screening in Cancer Patients: The First Step Toward Better Clinical Outcome

Disease-related malnutrition is highly prevalent among cancer patients, with 40-80% suffering from it during the course of their disease. Malnutrition is associated with numerous negative outcomes such as: longer hospital stays, increased morbidity and mortality rates, delayed wound healing, as well as decreased muscle function, autonomy and quality of life. In cancer patients, malnutrition negatively affects treatment tolerance (including anti-cancer drugs, surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy), increases side effects, causes adverse reactions, treatment interruptions, postoperative complications and higher readmission rates. Conversely, anti-cancer treatments are also known to affect body composition and impair nutritional status. Tailoring early nutritional therapy to patients' needs has been shown to prevent, treat and limit the negative consequences of malnutrition and is likely to improve overall prognosis. As the optimisation of treatment outcomes is top priority and evidence for nutritional therapy is growing, it is increasingly recognized as a significant intervention and an autonomous component of multimodal cancer care. The proactive implementation of nutritional screening and assessment is essential for patients suffering from cancer - given the interaction of clinical, metabolic, pharmacological factors with systemic inflammation; and suppressed appetite with accelerated muscle protein catabolism. At the same time, a nutritional care plan must be established, and adequate individualized nutritional intervention started rapidly. Screening tools for nutritional risk should be validated, standardized, non-invasive, quick and easy-to-use in daily clinical practice. Such tools must be able to identify patients who are already malnourished, as well as those at risk for malnutrition, in order to prevent or treat malnutrition and reduce negative outcomes. This review investigates the predictive value of commonly used screening tools, as well as the sensitivity and specificity of their individual components for improving clinical outcomes in oncologic populations. Healthcare professionals' awareness of malnutrition in cancer patients and the pertinence of early nutritional screening must be raised in order to plan the best possible intervention and follow-up during the patients' ordeal with the disease.

Prognostic Value of the C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio and Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index for Patients With Colorectal Liver Metastasis Undergoing Curative Resection

Background: We evaluated the prognostic value of C-reactive protein/albumin (CAR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), which we calculated as neutrophil × platelet/lymphocyte) in patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) after curative resection.

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 283 consecutive patients with CRLM who underwent curative resection between 2006 and 2016. We determined the optimal cutoff values of CAR and SII using receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis. Overall survival (OS)- and recurrence-free survival (RFS)-related to CAR and SII were analyzed using the log-rank test and multivariate Cox regression methods.

Results: We found that a high CAR was significantly associated with poor OS (P < 0.001) and RFS (P = 0.008) rates compared with a low CAR; a high SII was significantly associated with poor RFS (P = 0.003) rates compared with a low SII. The multivariate analysis indicated that CAR was an independent predictor of OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.220; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.387–3.550; P = 0.001) and RFS (HR = 1.494; 95% CI = 1.086–2.056; P = 0.014). The SII was an independent predictor of RFS (HR = 1.973; 95% CI = 1.230–3.162; P = 0.005) in patients with CRLM.

Conclusion: We proved that CAR was an independent predictor of OS and RFS in patients with CRLM who underwent curative resection, and that the prognostic value of CAR was superior to that of SII.

Effects of probiotics on gastrointestinal complications and nutritional status of postoperative patients with esophageal cancer: A protocol of randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal complications and malnutrition are common problems that affect postoperative rehabilitation and survival of patients with esophageal cancer. Evidence has shown that probiotics have a positive effect on improving gastrointestinal complications and nutritional status of patients with esophageal cancer after surgery, but there is a lack of prospective studies on this topic. We designed this prospective randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects of probiotics on gastrointestinal complications and nutritional status in patients with postoperative esophageal cancer.

METHODS

This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. It was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of our hospital. 192 patients will be randomly divided into probiotics group and the placebo group in a 1:1 ratio. After operation, probiotics and placebo will be given orally for 8 weeks. The indexes of nutritional status and incidence of digestive tract complications will be recorded and the data will be analyzed by SPSS 18.0 software.

DISCUSSION

This study will evaluate the effect of probiotics on gastrointestinal complications and nutritional status of postoperative patients with esophageal cancer. The results of this study will provide clinical basis for the use of probiotics in postoperative treatment of esophageal cancer.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

OSF Registration number: D DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/QHW86.

Perioperative Predictive Markers for Recurrence of Esophageal Cancer after Esophagectomy

Introduction

We studied whether perioperative nutritional, immunological factors or postoperative inflammatory responses predicted esophageal cancer (EC) progression and prognosis in patients who received esophagectomies.

Methods

We evaluated preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI), BMI, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), intraoperative blood loss, postoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) max, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) in 111 patients with pStage I-IV squamous cell EC who received esophagectomies. Optimal cutoff values for each continuous parameter were determined by receiver operating characteristic curves and Youden indices. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to derive independent prognostic factors. Propensity score matching using inverse probability of treatment weighting was used in groups divided by Youden indices, as appropriate.

Results

Cutoff values of continuous variables were NLR: 2.27, PNI: 44.2, blood loss: 159 mL, and CRPmax: 21.7 mg/dL. In multivariate analyses, PNI, CRPmax, and intraoperative blood loss were independent prognostic factors for OS and RFS. Among patients with stage II-IV disease, low PNI was associated with shorter RFS. Postoperative respiratory complications were associated with both higher CRP and shorter RFS.

Discussion/Conclusions

Low preoperative PNI and high postoperative inflammatory response were associated with postoperative EC progression after esophagectomy. Preoperative nutritional interventions or suppression of postoperative inflammatory response, including respiratory complications, may improve patient prognosis.

Is prognostic nutritional index a predictive marker for estimating all-cause in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular risk factors?

BACKGROUND

This study examined the possible association between the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and in-hospital mortality rates in cases with a high cardiovascular risk burden and hospitalized with the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This retrospective and cross-sectional study included 294 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in a tertiary referral pandemic center. The study cohort was grouped into tertiles based on the initial PNI values as T1, T2, and T3. The PNI was calculated for each case and the prognostic value of this index was compared to CURB-65 and 4C mortality risk scores in predicting in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

Patients stratified into the T1 tertile had a lower lymphocyte count, serum albumin level, and PNI values. In a multivariate analysis, the PNI (OR: 0.688,%95CI: 0.586-0.808, p < 0.001) was an independent predictor for all-cause in-hospital death. After adjusting for confounding independent parameters, patients included in the T1 tertile were found to have 11.2 times higher rates of in-hospital mortality compared to the T3 group, which was presumed as the reference group. In addition, we found that the area under curve (AUC) value of PNI was significantly elevated than that of serum albumin level and total lymphocyte counts alone. [(AUC):0.79 vs AUC:0.75 vs AUC:0.69; respectively).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that the PNI is independently related with in-hospital mortality in patient with COVID-19 and cardiovascular risk factors. The power of the PNI was also validated using well-accepted risk scores of COVID-19 such as CURB-65 and 4C mortality risk scores.

Geriatric nutritional risk index predicts cancer prognosis in patients with local advanced rectal cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy followed by curative surgery

Aim

The clinical significance of the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by curative surgery has not been comprehensively evaluated.

Methods

This retrospective study enrolled 93 LARC patients diagnosed with clinical lymph node metastasis. The GNRI formula was as follows: 1.489 × albumin (g/l) + 41.7 × current weight/ideal weight. Patients were categorized as GNRI low (GNRI < 104.25) or high (GNRI > 104.25) according to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for survival analysis. The impact of GNRI status on the prognostic outcomes of curative surgery for LARC was examined.

Results

There were 55 (59.14%) and 38 (40.86%) patients in the GNRI high and low groups, respectively. Of the investigated demographic factors, age, pathological tumor invasion, and presence of recurrence were significantly associated with the GNRI value. In Kaplan–Meier analysis, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were significantly shorter in the GNRI low group (OS: p = 0.00020, DFS: p = 0.0044, log-rank test). Multivariate analysis using a Cox proportional hazards model showed that a low GNRI was an independent risk factor for poor OS (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.22; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.37–8.23; p = 0.0068) and DFS (HR = 2.32; 95%CI = 1.15–4.79; p = 0.018). Although use of adjuvant therapy has no impact on prognosis (OS: p = 0.26, DFS: p = 0.29), low GNRI showed shorter OS and DFS in patients with pathological lymph node metastasis [ypN(+)] (OS: p = 0.033, DFS: p = 0.032, log-rank test).

Conclusions

GNRI is a useful marker for LARC patients diagnosed with clinical lymph node metastasis and treated by preoperative CRT followed by curative surgery. GNRI is a useful tool to identify high risk of recurrence for improving the survival in LARC patients.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-021-02139-z.