Prognostic impact of the Controlling Nutritional Status score in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with pembrolizumab

Unraveling the link between cholesterol and immune system in cancer: From biological mechanistic insights to clinical evidence. A narrative review

Cholesterol and its metabolism seem to be involved not only in cancer progression but also in immune cells activity. In this comprehensive review, we summarize preclinical, translational, and clinical evidence regarding the crucial role of cholesterol and its metabolism in regulating the immune response against cancer cells, shedding light on the multifaceted mechanisms by which cholesterol influences immune cell function and anti-tumor immunity. By synthesizing findings from preclinical studies, we have elucidated the impact of cholesterol on immune cell activation, differentiation, and effector functions. These investigations have revealed that cholesterol metabolism plays a pivotal role in shaping the immune response, with alterations in cholesterol levels directly impacting immune cell behavior and anti-tumor activity. All the steps related to cholesterol metabolism, including its de-novo synthesis, its influx and efflux mechanisms, as well as its metabolites, have a distinct impact on immune cells function and activity, which, if altered, might influence tumor progression. In addition, we have reviewed clinical studies investigating the role of circulating cholesterol on outcomes of patients with advanced tumors treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, highlighting again in a clinical scenario the correlation between cholesterol and the immune system. Overall, our review emphasizes the importance of cholesterol and its metabolism in orchestrating the immune response against cancer cells. Herein we have provided a comprehensive overview of this emerging field by illustrating the intricate interplay between cholesterol and immune system.

Prognostic value of the CONUT score with immune checkpoint inhibitors as first-line therapy for metastatic malignant melanoma

The recent availability of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized the treatment of advanced malignant melanoma (MM). However, many patients with MM do not benefit from ICI treatment. As immunotherapy is associated with significant toxicity and high treatment costs despite its excellent efficacy, it is pertinent to select patients who are likely to respond to ICIs. In this single-center, retrospective study we investigated whether the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score is a useful prognostic marker in Japanese patients with advanced-stage cancer. We analyzed 123 patients with stage IV MM treated with ICIs as first-line systemic treatment at our hospital between February 2012 and July 2024. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to calculate the CONUT cut-off value and CONUT into two groups of ≥3 and ≤2. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences in survival were assessed using the log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to evaluate independent prognostic factors. Objective response rate (ORR), PFS, and OS were significantly low in the CONUT ≥3 group, characterized by low nutritional status and high inflammation. Multivariate analysis identified the CONUT score as an independent prognostic factor for both PFS and OS. The CONUT score was not significantly associated with the development of serious immune-related adverse events. The simplicity of the CONUT score may aid in identifying patients with MM who are suitable candidates for ICI treatment.

NRS2002 score as a prognostic factor in solid tumors treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: a real-world evidence analysis

To observe the antitumour efficacy of programmed death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors in the real world and explore the relationship between NRS2002 score or other clinical characteristics and immunotherapy efficacy, we retrospectively analyzed 341 tumor patients who received immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment at one center. A total of 341 solid tumor patients treated with ICIs from June 2018 to December 2021 were retrospectively included in this study. Patient characteristics, ICI responses, and survival status were documented, and the relationships between clinical factors and survival were analyzed. Among all patients, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.8 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 12.5 months. The Performance Status (PS), NRS2002 score, The Naples Prognostic Score (NPS), Lymphocyte and C-reactive protein ratio (LCR), line of therapy, and nutritional support were significantly related to PFS or OS according to univariate analysis. The median PFS and OS were significantly better in the group without nutritional risk (NRS2002 0-2) than those with nutritional risk (NRS2002 ≥ 3) (PFS: HR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.30-2.54, p value < .001; OS: HR = 2.49, 95% CI 1.73-3.59, p value < .001). Cox regression analysis revealed that the NRS2002 score was an independent prognostic factor for both PFS and OS. The objective response rate (ORR) in the group at nutritional risk was lower than that in the group without nutritional risk (8.33% and 19.71%, respectively, p value = .037). Patients at nutritional risk according to the NRS2002 score at initial treatment had a poorer prognosis than those without nutritional risk. The NRS2002 could be used as a preliminary index to predict the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Prognostic Significance of the Cachexia Index in Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer and Brain Metastases after Stereotactic Radiotherapy

Background

The cachexia index (CXI) has been proposed as a novel biomarker of cancer cachexia. We aimed to investigate the association between CXI and survival outcomes after stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and brain metastases.

Methods

Data from 145 patients with NSCLC, who underwent SRT for brain metastases between April 2016 and August 2020, were retrospectively analyzed. Cachexia index was calculated as skeletal muscle index (SMI) × serum albumin level/neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, whereas SMI was calculated from computed tomography images captured at the L1 level. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The prognostic values of CXI and other cachexia biomarkers were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results

Lower pretreatment CXI (<30.8) was significantly associated with older age (P = .039), lower Karnofsky performance score (P = .009), and a high likelihood of extracranial metastases (P = .001). Patients with a lower pretreatment CXI had a significantly shorter PFS and OS than those with a higher CXI (P < .001). Multivariate analysis revealed that pretreatment CXI was an independent risk factor for both PFS, hazard ratio (HR) = 2.375; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.610-3.504; P < .001, and OS, HR = 2.340; 95% CI = 1.562-3.505; P < .001. Compared with other biomarkers, pretreatment CXI had the highest area under the ROC curve value for prognostic assessment, reaching 0.734. Moreover, the loss of CXI was a strong risk factor for survival independent of pretreatment CXI (P = .011).

Conclusions

Cachexia index may serve as a clinically useful tool for predicting survival outcomes of patients with NSCLC and brain metastases who undergo SRT.

Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio as potential predictive markers of treatment response in cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

The role of platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as independent prognostic markers in different tumors is well established. However, there is a limited review of the potential of NLR and PLR as predictors of treatment outcomes from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Objective

To establish a correlation between NLR and PLR and the potential of clinical benefit from ICIs.

Methods

The literature search was performed for studies that reported the association between NLR, PLR, and treatment outcomes among cancer patients treated with ICIs. The outcomes of interest were objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and progressive disease (PD). ORR was the summation of patients who achieved complete response and partial response. DCR included patients who achieved stable disease. PD was the proportion of patients who progressed, relapsed, or discontinued the treatment. Statistical analysis was performed using the STATA 12.0 package. Heterogeneity was determined by the I2 value. Quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Egger's test was used to establish publication bias and sensitivity analysis.

Results

A total of 40 papers that met the inclusion criteria were included in the systematic review. However, only 17 studies were used in the meta-analysis to determine the correlation between NLR, PLR, and treatment response. We found that treatment with ICIs and monitoring of outcomes and adverse events using PLR and NLR parameters have been studied in different tumors. Our analysis showed that low NLR correlated with higher ORR (OR = 0.62 (95% CI 0.47-0.81, p = 0.001) and higher DCR (OR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.14-0.36, p < 0.001). Higher NLR predicted a higher probability of PD (OR = 3.12, 95% CI 1.44, 6.77, p = 0.004). Similarly, low PLR correlated with higher ORR (OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.5, 0.95, p = 0.025). Generally, patients with low NLR and PLR were more likely to achieve clinical benefit and better response (p-value < 0.001). Meanwhile, patients with high ratios were more likely to progress (p-value < 0.005), although there was significant heterogeneity among studies. There was no significant publication bias observed.

Conclusion

The study showed that high NLR and PLR either at baseline or during treatment is associated with poorer treatment outcome. Therefore, these ratios can be utilized in clinical practice with other markers to determine treatment efficacy from immunotherapy.

Prognostic value of controlling nutritional status on clinical and survival outcomes in cancer patients treated with immunotherapy

Cancer is a leading cause of death globally. Immunotherapy has shown promise in treating various types of cancer, but its effectiveness varies among patients. The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score has been linked to the prognosis of different cancers. However, its predictive value for immunotherapy outcomes is not well understood. Our research represents the pioneering meta-study to examine the prognostic value of the CONUT score on cancer patients treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). A comprehensive literature search was conducted using various databases including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google Scholar. The study was conducted until July 28, 2023. This analysis encompassed a comprehensive evaluation of various clinical outcomes, namely overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR). 663 patients from 8 studies were included in this study. It showed that cancer patients with high CONUT score had poorer OS (HR: 1.94, 95% CI, 1.52-2.47, p < 0.001) and PFS (HR: 2.22, 95% CI, 1.48-3.31, p < 0.001), as well as worse ORR (OR: 0.46, 95% CI, 0.25-0.85, p = 0.013) and DCR (HR: 0.29, 95% CI, 0.14-0.59, p = 0.001). The CONUT score can predict the prognosis of tumor patients treated with ICIs.

Pretreatment absolute lymphocyte count is an independent predictor for survival outcomes for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and pembrolizumab: An analysis from a prospective cohort

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between pretreatment inflammatory biomarkers (IBs) and survival outcomes for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neo-CRT) and pembrolizumab.

METHODS

Clinical variables and IBs (absolute monocyte count [AMC], absolute lymphocyte count [ALC], platelet count [PLT], neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR], platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio [PLR], lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio [LMR], pan-immune inflammation value [PIV], systemic immunoinflammatory index [SII], systemic immunoreactivity index [SIRI] and prognostic nutritional index [PNI]) were collected. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to identify the independent factors for outcomes of ESCC.

RESULTS

A total of 51 patients were included. Of these, 35 patients achieved pathological complete response (pCR) after neo-CRT and pembrolizumab (pCR: 68.6%). With a median follow-up of 20 months, the two-year PFS and OS of the cohort was 64% and 91%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that ALC (overall response [OR] 4.4, p = 0.051) and PLT (OR 6.7, p = 0.023) were two independent predictors for achieving pCR among ESCC treated with neo-CRT and pembrolizumab. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that ALC (HR 0.27, p = 0.028) and SIRI (HR 3.13, p = 0.048) were two independent predictors associated with PFS. Kaplan Meier analysis demonstrated that the PFS of ESCC with high baseline ALC was significantly better than those with low ALC (2-year PFS: 77% vs. 47%, p = 0.027), but not for overall survival (2-year OS: 96% vs. 87%, p = 0.46).

CONCLUSIONS

This retrospective analysis based on a prospective cohort for the first time demonstrates that pretreatment ALC is an independent predictor for achieving pCR and favorable outcomes of ESCC treated with neo-CRT and pembrolizumab.

Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is a prognostic marker in III-IV NSCLC patients receiving first-line chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

To investigate the prognostic impact of the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving first-line chemotherapy.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 278 consecutive patients undergoing chemotherapy for stage III-IV NSCLC between May 2012 and July 2020. CONUT score was calculated by incorporating serum albumin, total cholesterol, and total lymphocyte count. The patients were divided into two groups: CONUT ≥ 3 and CONUT < 3, according to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The associations of CONUT with clinicopathological factors and survival were evaluated.

RESULTS

A high CONUT score was significantly associated with older age(P = 0.003), worse ECOG-PS(P = 0.018), advanced clinical stage(P = 0.006), higher systematic inflammation index (SII) (P < 0.001)and lower prognostic nutritional index (PNI) (P < 0.001).The high CONUT group had a significantly shorter progression-free survival(PFS) and overall survival(OS) than the low CONUT group. In the univariate analysis, higher SII, higher CONUT, advanced clinical stage and lower PNI were associated with worse PFS (P_all < 0.05). Worse ECOG-PS, higher SII, higher CONUT, advanced clinical stage and lower PNI were associated with worse OS (P_all < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, CONUT(HR, 2.487; 95%CI 1.818 ~ 3.403; P < 0.001) was independently associated with PFS, while PNI(HR, 0.676; 95%CI 0.494 ~ 0.927; P = 0.015) and CONUT(HR, 2.186; 95%CI 1.591 ~ 3.002; P < 0.001)were independently associated with OS. In ROC analysis, CONUT had a higher area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the prediction of 24-month PFS and OS than the SII or PNI. When the time-dependent AUC curve was used to predict PFS and OS, CONUT tended to maintain its predictive accuracy for long-term prognosis at a significantly higher level for an extended period after chemotherapy when compared with the other markers tested. The CONUT score showed better accuracy of predicting OS (C-index: 0.711) and PFS(C-index: 0.753).

CONCLUSION

CONUT score is an independent prognostic indicator of poor outcomes for patients with stage III-IV NSCLC and is superior to the SII and PNI in terms of prognostic ability.

Naples Prognostic Score as an Independent Predictor of Survival Outcomes for Resected Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients After Neoadjuvant Treatment

Background

The Naples Prognostic Score (NPS) can reflect patient's nutritional and inflammatory status, which is identified as a prognostic indicator for various malignant tumors. However, its significance in patients with resected locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) patients who receive neoadjuvant treatment remains unclear so far.

Methods

A total of 165 LA-NSCLC patients surgically treated from May 2012 to November 2017 were retrospectively investigated. The LA-NSCLC patients were divided into three groups according to NPS scores. The receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was performed to reveal the discriminatory ability of NPS and other indicators for predicting the survival. The NPS and clinicopathological variables were further evaluated the prognostic value by univariate and multivariate Cox analysis.

Results

The NPS was related to age (P = 0.046), smoking history (P = 0.004), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score (P = 0.005), and adjuvant treatment (P = 0.017). Patients with high NPS scores had worse overall survival (OS) (group 1 vs 0, P = 0.006; group 2 vs 0, P < 0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS) (group 1 vs 0, P < 0.001; group 2 vs 0, P < 0.001). The ROC analysis demonstrated that NPS had better predictive ability than other prognostic indicators. Multivariate analysis revealed that NPS was independent prognostic indicator of OS (group 1 vs 0, hazard ratio [HR] =2.591, P = 0.023; group 2 vs 0, HR = 8.744, P = 0.001) and DFS (group 1 vs 0, HR =3.754, P < 0.001; group 2 vs 0, HR = 9.673, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The NPS could be an independent prognostic indicator in patients with resected LA-NSCLC receiving neoadjuvant treatment and more reliable than the other nutritional and inflammatory indicators.

Prognostic Effect of the Controlling Nutritional Status Score in Patients With Esophageal Cancer Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor

In recent years, a growing number of clinical studies have shown that immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) can increase the remission rate and improve the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer. The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is a novel nutritional indicator that can predict the prognosis of certain malignancies. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 69 patients with advanced esophageal cancer treated with ICI and assessed the relationship between clinicopathological factors including CONUT score, systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and the prognosis. We found the CONUT score and SII, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were an independent prognostic factor for overall survival ( P <0.05). Furthermore, among patients treated with ICI, a high CONUT score was associated with a significantly worse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival compared with a low CONUT group. In conclusion, the CONUT can be used to predict the efficacy and prognosis of ICI therapy in patients with esophageal cancer. Our studies have shown that the CONUT score can be used as an effective indicator for the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer receiving ICI.

Nutritional index for immune-checkpoint inhibitor in patients with metastatic gastro-esophageal junction/gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Nutritional status is strongly associated to prognosis in metastatic gastrooesophageal junction (mGOJ)/gastric cancer (GC) patients. The aim of the present study was to develop an immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-specific nutritional index (NI).

METHODS

Ten serum and anthropometric nutritional markers derived from blood tests or CT scans were analyzed at baseline in patients treated with second-line ICI and correlated with overall survival (OS). An ICI-specific NI (the NUTRIICI) was developed with its specificity assessed in an independent group of patients treated with standard second-line chemotherapy.

RESULTS

From June 2014 to December 2018, 57 mGOJ/GC patients (14 females, 43 males) with a median(m) age of 61 years (range 29-85) received ICI as second-line therapy (Pembrolizumab n=26, Nivolumab n=16, Avelumab n=15). Among the 10 analyzed variables, Onodera's prognostic NI (PNI) ≤33 and waist-to-hip (WHR) <1 were independent predictors of OS and used to build the NUTRIICI. Patients with both favorable factors (i.e., PNI >33 and WHR ≥1, comparator group) had a mOS of 18.0 vs. 6.7 months of patients with one unfavorable factor (either PNI ≤33 or WHR <1, Hazard Ratio, HR 3.06), vs. 1.3 months of patients with both unfavorable factors (HR 17.56), overall P<0.0001. In the independent group of patients treated with standard chemotherapy NUTRIICI was not associated with prognosis (P=0.57).

CONCLUSIONS

NUTRIICI is the first ICI-specific NI for mOGJ/GC patients receiving second-line ICI. A validation in larger cohorts is strongly encouraged.

Prognostic Value of Combination of Controlling Nutritional Status and Tumor Marker in Patients with Radical Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Background

Controlling nutritional status (CONUT) and tumor markers are associated with prognosis in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study is aimed at exploring the potential usefulness of T-CONUT, constructed by combining CONUT and tumor markers, for NSCLC patients undergoing radical surgery.

Methods

A total of 483 patients with NSCLC underwent radical surgical resection. The receiver characteristic operating curve (ROC) was used to select the tumor marker with the highest predictive performance, and CONUT was combined with this marker to construct the T-CONUT. The Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used to analyze the overall survival (OS), and chi-square analysis was used to analyze the association between T-CONUT and clinicopathological characteristics. The independent risk factors were analyzed by Cox regression. A nomogram was constructed by R studio. Calibration plots, the c-index, and decision curves were evaluated for the performance of the nomogram.

Results

ROC analysis showed that the predictive performance of CYFRA21–1 was better than that of CEA, NSE, and SCC. CYFRA21–1 was selected for combining with CONUT to construct T-CONUT. Elevated T-CONUT indicates poor prognosis of patients. Histological type, pTNM, and T-CONUT are independent risk factors associated with patient prognosis. The areas under the curve of the nomogram for predicting 3- and 5-year OS were 0.760 and 0.761, respectively.

Conclusion

T-CONUT comprising CYFRA21–1 and CONUT can effectively predict the prognosis of NSCLC patients.

The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) Score and Prognosis in Malignant Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Increasing evidences indicate that the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score is associated with cancer prognosis. This study was conducted to investigate the prognostic significance of pretreatment CONUT score on patients with various malignant tumors. The correlation between CONUT score and clinical outcomes of tumor patients were studied by electronic literature retrieval. Pooled hazard ratios (HR), odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to clarify the conclusion. Subgroup analysis were conducted in line with cancer type, cancer stage, treatment, sample size and cut-off value. A total of 62 studies involving 25224 patients were included in this study. Pooled analysis showed that higher CONUT scores were associated with shorter overall survival (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.45-1.79, p < 0.001), cancer-specific survival (HR 1.80, 95% CI 1.48-2.13, p < 0.001), progress/recurrence-free survival (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.23-1.85, p < 0.001) and disease-free survival (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.39-1.74, p < 0.001). In addition, high CONUT score was correlated to higher incidence of postoperative complications (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.38-1.95, p < 0.001) and mortality (OR 4.22, 95% CI 2.22-8.02, p < 0.001). Consequently, the pretreatment CONUT score is a valuable indicator to predict the clinical outcomes of patients with various malignant tumors.

Prognostic Value of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Novel evidence showed that the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) may lead to poor prognosis of human cancers. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore the impact of GNRI in lung cancer and its prognostic value.

Methods

We searched the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library up to July 2021 for relevant research and merged the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the association between GNRI and overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with lung cancer.

Results

Eight studies involving 2,399 patients were included in our primary meta-analysis. The results indicated that lower level of GNRI was associated with poorer OS, RFS, and CSS of lung cancer patients (OS: HR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.68–2.35, p < 0.0001; RFS: HR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.11–4.95, p = 0.0258; CSS: HR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.43–4.18, p = 0.0011). The association was robust after subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis.

Conclusions

GNRI may be a prognostic factor of lung cancer, which can lead to poorer survival. However, more prospective studies are necessary to confirm the results.

Systematic Review Registration

International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), identifier CRD42021269574.

The value of the controlling nutritional status score in predicting the prognosis of patients with lung cancer: A multicenter, retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The body's immune-nutritional status affects prognosis in patients with lung cancer. The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is an immune-nutrition-related index associated with prognosis in other tumors. We aimed to assess the value of CONUT in predicting prognosis in patients with lung cancer.

METHODS

In this retrospective multicenter study, 1,339 patients with lung cancer were divided into low- and high-CONUT score groups. The relationship between CONUT scores and overall survival (OS) was assessed by survival curves and Cox's proportional hazards regression modelling. A nomogram including CONUT and other clinical variables was established.

RESULTS

There were 659 (49.2%; mean age 59.91 years) low- and 680 (50.8%; mean age 62.23 years) high-CONUT score patients. OS was significantly worse in patients with high than in those with low CONUT scores (P < 0.001), even after stratification by pathological types (non-small-cell lung cancer and small-cell lung cancer) and Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stages. A high CONUT score independently predicted risk in patients with lung cancer (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.48, 95% confidence interval: 1.26-1.73; P < 0.001). The CONUT-based nomogram could predict prognosis well (C-index: 0.701), with better resolution and accuracy than TNM staging for predicting OS at 1, 2, and 3 years (Area under the ROC curve: 0.735 vs. 0.678; 0.742 vs. 0.696; and 0.768 vs. 0.743).

CONCLUSION

The CONUT score can predict prognosis in patients with lung cancer. A CONUT-based nomogram can improve the accuracy of survival prediction in such patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Prospective observational study of nutritional/immunologic indices as predictive biomarkers for the response to anti-PD-1 drugs in non-small cell lung cancer (ICI-PREDICT study)

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) have markedly improved the prognosis of many patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the relationship between the patient’s nutritional/immunologic status and the outcomes of ICI treatment remains unclear. In previous retrospective studies, we reported that the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score, skeletal muscle area, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were independent predictors of the response of NSCLC patients to anti-PD-1 drugs. The aim of this prospective multi-center study is to investigate the clinical impact of pre-treatment nutritional/immunologic indices and early post-treatment changes in the indices on treatment outcomes in advanced NSCLC. The main inclusion criteria are: (1) stage IV NSCLC, or stage III NSCLC not applicable for definitive chemoradiotherapy; (2) treatment with ICIs (monotherapy or combined with chemotherapy) as first-line therapy; and (3) available data on PD-L1 expression on tumor cells. A total of 300 patients will be enrolled prospectively. Enrollment will begin in 2020 and the final analyses will be completed by 2025.

Prognostic impact of the pre-treatment controlling nutritional status score in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The influence of pre-treatment controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score on the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is inconclusive. We performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic significance of CONUT score in NSCLC patients.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted to assess the correlation between the CONUT score and the overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), as well as the cancer-specific survival.

RESULTS

A total of 11 studies with 3029 patients were included in the analysis. Pooled results indicated that a high CONUT score was positively correlated with poor OS (HR: 1.63, 95%CI: 1.40-1.88, P < .001) and shortened DFS/RFS (HR: 1.65, 95%CI: 1.35-2.01, P < .001), but no significant relationship with the cancer-specific survival (HR: 1.28, 95%CI: 0.60-2.73, P = .517) was identified. The negative effect of high CONUT score on the OS and DFS/RFS was detected in every subgroup with varying treatment methods, cancer stage, CONUT cut-off values, sample size, and analysis methods of HR. Additionally, preoperative high CONUT score was an independent predictor of postoperative complications (odds ratio: 1.58, 95%CI: 1.21-2.06, P = .001) in NSCLC. Last but not least, high CONUT score was not significantly correlated with the patients' sex, smoking status, cancer stage, lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, pleural invasion, and pathological cancer type.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate that high CONUT score is positively related to poor prognoses. The CONUT score may therefore be considered as an effective prognostic marker in NSCLC patients.

Assessment of systematic inflammatory and nutritional indexes in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer treated with first-line chemotherapy and atezolizumab

BACKGROUND

The present study aims to investigate the prognostic role of systematic inflammatory and nutritional indexes in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) treated with first-line chemotherapy and atezolizumab.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Prospective cohort population involving 53 patients were identified from NCT03041311 trial. The following peripheral blood-derived inflammatory and nutritional indexes, including neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), prognostic nutrition index (PNI), advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI), and lung immune prognostic index (LIPI) were evaluated.

RESULTS

The optimal cut-off values of the ALI, LMR, NLR, PLR, PNI, SII and SIRI were 323.23, 2.73, 2.57, 119.23, 48, 533.28 and 2.32, respectively. With a median follow-up of 17.1 months, the 1-year OS and PFS were 56% and 8%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that PLR was the only independent prognostic factors for OS among ES-SCLC patients treated with chemotherapy and atezolizumab (HR 4.63, 95%CI: 1.00-21.46, p = 0.05). K-M analysis showed that the OS and PFS for patients with high PLR (> 119.23) were significantly poorer than these with low PLR (≤ 119.23) (p = 0.0004 for OS and p = 0.014 for PFS). In external validation set, prognosis of patients with high PLR was also significantly poorer than these with low PLR in terms of OS (p = 0.038) and PFS (p = 0.028).

CONCLUSION

Pre-treatment PLR could serve as a valuable independent prognostic factor for ES-SCLC who receive chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Further, prospective studies are still needed to confirm our findings.

Prognostic value of the geriatric nutritional risk index among patients with previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer who subsequently underwent immunotherapy

Background

The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is a simple and useful marker for predicting prognosis and treatment efficacy among patients with various cancers. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no previous reports regarding the prognostic value of GNRI among patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 85 patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC who were administered ICIs at Shinshu University Hospital between February 2016 and October 2020. Progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between groups with high (≥89.5) and low (<89.5) GNRI values. We used univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to identify prognostic factors that were associated with PFS and OS.

Results

The high and low GNRI groups included 61 and 24 patients, respectively. Relative to the low GNRI group, the high GNRI group had significantly longer median PFS (3.7 vs. 2.4 months, p = 0.041) and significantly longer median OS (14.2 vs. 6.1 months, p = 0.008). Multivariate analyses revealed that independent predictors of favorable OS were high GNRI, performance status of 0–1, and age of ≥70 years. The high GNRI group was significantly more likely to undergo subsequent therapy after immunotherapy (68.6 vs. 33.3%, p = 0.008).

Conclusions

The present study revealed that high GNRI was associated with good outcomes among patients with previously treated NSCLC who were treated with ICIs.

Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score as a predictive marker for short-term complications following gastrectomy of gastric cancer: a retrospective study

Background

It is well established that the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score was correlated with long-term outcomes in gastric cancer (GC), but the significance of CONUT for postoperative short-term outcomes remains unclear. The study aimed to characterize the relationship between CONUT and short-term complications following gastrectomy of GC.

Methods

We collected data on 1479 consecutive GC patients at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between January 2016 and December 2018. Univariate and multivariate analyses of predictive factors for postoperative complications were performed. The cutoff value of the CONUT score was determined by Youden index.

Results

Among all of the patients, 431 (29.3%) patients encountered postoperative complications. Multivariate analyses identified CONUT was an independent predictor for postoperative short-term complications (OR 1.156; 95% CI 1.077–1.240; P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis elucidated that CONUT was related to postoperative complications both in early gastric cancer and advanced gastric cancer. We further explored that patients with high CONUT score had prolonged hospital stay (12.3 ± 6.0 vs 11.1 ± 4.6, P < 0.001) and more total hospital charges (7.6 ± 2.4 vs 7.1 ± 1.6, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The present study demonstrated that the preoperative CONUT was an independent predictor for short-term complications following gastrectomy of GC.

Change of body composition, physical strength, and nutritional status of patients with mandibular fractures

The aim was to determine changes in various parameters indicating physical conditions and nutritional status of patients during surgical and conservative treatment of mandibular fractures. A round by a nutrition support team was done once postoperatively for the surgical treatment group. For the conservative treatment group, three rounds were performed during the period of intermaxillary fixation. Data obtained from the rounds were compared between the groups. There were 29 patients surgically and 30 patients conservatively treated. A significant weight loss was observed in both groups postoperatively. The mean weight loss of the surgical treatment group measured at the postoperative round was 1.73 kg (SD ± 1.78) (P < 0.001) and that of the conservative treatment group at the third round was 2.74 kg (SD ± 2.35) (P < 0.001). During the entire treatment period, weight loss, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle percentage, grip strength and parameters indicating body composition and nutritional status of the conservative treatment group did not substantially differ from those of the surgical group. The influence of the conservative procedure on the nutritional condition of the patients seems to be limited and reversible at the end of the treatment. The weight loss observed here suggests that systematic nutrition support is necessary during both surgical and conservative treatment.

Effect of Prognostic Nutrition Index in Gastric or Gastro-oesophageal Junction Cancer Patients Undergoing Nivolumab Monotherapy

BACKGROUND/AIM

We hypothesised that the prognostic nutrition index (PNI) is useful for evaluating host immunity and response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. We investigated the effect of PNI on nivolumab monotherapy efficacy in advanced or recurrent gastric cancer (GC) or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (GOC) patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively examined 110 patients, divided them into a high-PNI group and a low-PNI group, and compared treatment efficacy, adverse events (AEs), and survival between the groups.

RESULTS

Median overall survival (OS) was significantly longer in the high-PNI group than in the low-PNI group (205 vs. 109 days; p<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that low PNI was an independent risk factor for OS (hazard ratio=2.398; 95% confidence interval=1.384-4.154; p=0.002). The overall response rate and frequency of AEs were not significantly different between the groups.

CONCLUSION

PNI could be a useful prognostic factor in GC or GOC patients undergoing nivolumab monotherapy.

Significance of inflammatory indexes in atezolizumab monotherapy outcomes in previously treated non-small-cell lung cancer patients

Cancer immunotherapy, including atezolizumab monotherapy, is a promising alternative strategy for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several inflammatory indices have been reported as potential biomarkers regarding the effectiveness of various treatments. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of atezolizumab monotherapy using baseline inflammatory markers in NSCLC patients. We retrospectively enrolled 81 NSCLC patients who received atezolizumab monotherapy at six different medical institutions in Japan. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the impact of the clinical variables, including inflammatory indexes, on clinical outcomes. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 60 days and 252 days, respectively. The objective response rate was 7.4%, and the disease control rate was 54.3%. Patients with high neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), low lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), and/or high platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), at baseline, demonstrated substantially shorter PFS and OS compared to those with a low NLR, high LMR, and/or low PLR. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that a high baseline NLR was substantially associated with short PFS and short OS. Our retrospective observations suggest that inflammatory indices may be a potential negative prognostic factor of atezolizumab monotherapy outcomes in NSCLC patients.

CONUT Score or/and Peripheral Blood CD4+/CD8+ Ratio-Based Web Dynamic Nomograms to Predict the Individualized Survival of Patients with Advanced Osteosarcoma

Background

Nutritional and immune status is paramount for the overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced osteosarcoma. Comprehensive prognostic predictors based on the two indices are scarce. This study aimed to construct and validate individualized web dynamic nomograms based on CONUT score or/and peripheral blood CD4+/CD8+ ratio for OS in patients with advanced osteosarcoma.

Materials and Methods

The clinical data of 376 advanced osteosarcoma patients from January 2000 to December 2019 were retrospectively collected. Data from the 301 patients (diagnosed in the first 15 years) were used as the development set and data from the remaining 75 patients were assigned as the validation set. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted and three prediction models were constructed, namely, CD4+/CD8+ ratio univariate model (model 1), CONUT score univariate model (model 2), and CD4+/CD8+ ratio plus CONUT score (model 3). These models were visualized by conventional nomograms and individualized web dynamic nomograms, and their performances were further evaluated by C-index, calibration curve, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA), respectively.

Results

In multivariate Cox analysis, age, metastasis, ALP, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, chemotherapy, and CONUT score were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS. The calibration curves of the three models all showed good agreement between the actual observation and nomogram prediction for 1-year overall survival. In the development set, the C-index and area under the curve (AUC) of model 3 (0.837, 0.848) were higher than that of model 1 (0.765, 0.773) and model 2 (0.712, 0.749). Similar trends were observed in the validation set. The net benefits of model 3 were better than the other two models within the threshold probability of 36–80% in DCA.

Conclusion

CONUT score and peripheral CD4+/CD8+ ratio are easily available, reliable, and economical prognostic predictors for survival prediction and stratification in patients with advanced osteosarcoma, but the two predictors combined can establish a better prognosis prediction model.

The Significance of Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) Score as a Novel Prognostic Parameter in Small Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

The immuno-nutritional status is closely related to the prognosis in many cancers. Controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score is a new parameter that reflects the immuno-nutritional status and is prognostic in some cancers. However, the prognostic significance of the CONUT score in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is unknown. We aimed to demonstrate the prognostic significance of the CONUT score in patients with SCLC.

METHODS

Two hundred sixteen patients who were followed up with SCLC were included in the study retrospectively. According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the optimal cutoff values were determined for the CONUT score, and the patients were divided into low (< 2) and high (≥ 2) CONUT groups. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were grouped based on a cutoff point 2.84, 626, and 46.1, respectively. Cox regression analyses were used to assess their prognostic values for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The high CONUT group had significantly worse PFS and OS than the low CONUT group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). In univariate analysis, stage, prophylactic cranial irradiation, extrapulmonary lesion, PNI, body mass index, CONUT score were found to be significant for both PFS and OS. In multivariate analysis, only CONUT score and stage were found as independent prognostic factors for both PFS (p: 0.018, p: 0.046) and OS (p: 0.038, p: 0.006).

CONCLUSION

The CONUT score at the time of diagnosis is an independent prognostic parameter that predicts recurrence and survival times in SCLC.

Controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score is a predictive marker for patients with traumatic brain injury

OBJECT

We designed this study to evaluate whether controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score was valuable in predicting outcome of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHODS

Clinical and laboratory data of patients admitted with TBI in our hospital between January 2015 and January 2018 was retrospectively collected. We divided patients into two groups according to in-hospital and 90-day outcome respectively and compared baseline characteristics of two groups. Multivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate whether CONUT score was associated with outcome of included patients. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were drawn to compare the predictive value of CONUT score and constructed models.

RESULTS

A total of 365 patients were included in our study. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that CONUT score was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.244, 95% CI: 1.099-1.408, p = 0.001) and 90-day outcome (OR = 1.441, 95% CI: 1.193-1.741, p < 0.001). ROC curve showed that area under the ROC curve (AUC) of CONUT score for predicting in-hospital mortality and 90-day outcome were 0.790 (95% CI: 0.745-0.836, p < 0.001) and 0.839 (95% CI: 0.792-0.886, p < 0.001), respectively.

CONCLUSION

CONUT score is independently associated with in-hospital mortality and 90-day outcome of patients with TBI.

Clinical Impact of Sarcopenia and Inflammatory/Nutritional Markers in Patients with Unresectable Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma Treated with Pembrolizumab

Sarcopenia is a muscle loss syndrome known as a risk factor of various carcinomas. The impact of sarcopenia and sarcopenia-related inflammatory/nutritional markers in metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) treated with pembrolizumab was unknown, so this retrospective study of 27 patients was performed. Psoas muscle mass index (PMI) was calculated by bilateral psoas major muscle area at the L3 with computed tomography. The cut-off PMI value for sarcopenia was defined as ≤6.36 cm²/m² for men and ≤3.92 cm²/m² for women. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ≥ 4.0 and sarcopenia correlated with significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ratio (HR) 3.81, p = 0.020; and HR 2.99, p = 0.027, respectively). Multivariate analyses identified NLR ≥ 4.0 and sarcopenia as independent predictors for PFS (HR 2.89, p = 0.025; and HR 2.79, p = 0.030, respectively). Prognostic nutrition index < 45, NLR ≥ 4.0 and sarcopenia were correlated with significantly worse for overall survival (OS) (HR 3.44, p = 0.046; HR 4.26, p = 0.024; and HR 3.92, p = 0.012, respectively). Multivariate analyses identified sarcopenia as an independent predictor for OS (HR 4.00, p = 0.026). Furthermore, a decrease in PMI ≥ 5% in a month was an independent predictor of PFS and OS (HR 12.8, p = 0.008; and HR 6.21, p = 0.036, respectively). Evaluation of sarcopenia and inflammatory/nutritional markers may help in the management of mUC with pembrolizumab.

The impact of immune-inflammation-nutritional parameters on the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with atezolizumab

Background

Immunotherapy targeting programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) has become the forefront strategy for systemic therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. PD-L1 expression on tumor cells has been reported as an eligible biomarker of response to such immunotherapies. However, useful biomarkers of response to atezolizumab, an anti PD-L1 antibody, are unestablished.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed clinicopathological characteristics including PD-L1 expression in NSCLC patients treated with atezolizumab from January 2018 at our department. In addition, we investigated the prognostic effect of the following pretreatment immune-inflammation-nutritional parameters: prognostic nutritional index (PNI), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS).

Results

Twenty-four patients were enrolled in this study. The median age was 64.5 (range, 49-82) years, and 17 (70.8%) were men. Among this cohort, two patients showed high PD-L1 expression (≥50%), seven showed low (1-49%) expression, and the other 15 patients showed 0% or unknown expression. Survival analyses showed that low PNI was an independent predictor of short time to treatment failure (TTF) [hazard ratio (HR) =6.87, P=0.0052], and high NLR (HR =3.53, P=0.0375) and high mGPS (HR =23.2, P=0.0038) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) after atezolizumab. Furthermore, the NLR high/mGPS high group had far worse prognosis than the NLR low/mGPS low group.

Conclusions

The therapeutic and prognostic effect of atezolizumab may depend on the host immune-nutritional status. This study provided novel but retrospective evidence, and thus further prospective studies are needed.