The Prognostic Significance of Sarcopenia and the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Elderly Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Preoperative Prediction of Sarcopenia in Patients Scheduled for Gastric and Colorectal Cancer Surgery

INTRODUCTION

Sarcopenia negatively impacts surgical outcomes in gastrointestinal cancer patients, yet practical preoperative screening tools are lacking. The CRP/ALB ratio, a novel biomarker of systemic inflammation and nutritional status, may enhance sarcopenia prediction but remains underexplored in surgical oncology. This study aims to identify the predictors for preoperative sarcopenia prediction in gastric and colorectal cancer patients.

METHODS

This retrospective study analyzed 145 patients undergoing curative surgery (2019-2021). Sarcopenia was defined by sex-specific CT-measured L3 skeletal muscle index (cutoffs, male ≤ 40.8 cm2/m2; female ≤ 34.9 cm2/m2). Multivariable logistic regression identified predictors, with model performance assessed via ROC analysis and Cohen's Kappa.

RESULTS

The cohort (median age 64 years; 73.8% male) comprised 66 gastric (45.5%) and 79 colorectal (54.5%) cancer patients, with 29 (20%) diagnosed with sarcopenia. Sarcopenic patients exhibited a higher NRS 2002 score (P < 0.001), lower PNI score (P < 0.05), and higher CRP/ALB ratio (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that CRP/ALB ratio (OR = 3.084, 95% CI 1.071-8.882, P = 0.037), age (OR = 1.074, 95% CI 1.021-1.130, P = 0.006), and BMI (OR = 0.667, 95% CI 0.542-0.820, P = 0.000) were associated with the increased risk of sarcopenia. The combined model achieved superior discrimination (AUC = 0.854, 95% CI 0.770-0.937), yielding 75.86% sensitivity and 84.82% specificity at optimal cutoff value - 1.0340, and a Cohen's Kappa coefficient of 0.542 when compared to CT results.

CONCLUSION

The CRP/ALB ratio combined with BMI and age is utilized as a convenient and effective tool for preoperative sarcopenia screening. This model-driven approach provides robust strategies to facilitate preoperative interventions, optimize perioperative care, and enhance long-term oncological outcomes for patients undergoing gastric and colorectal cancer surgery.

Long-Term Prognostic Factors for Patients Aged 80 and Older With Superficial Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Undergoing Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an acceptable treatment for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) even in elderly patients. However, studies on the prognostic factors in very elderly patients are limited. Therefore, we aimed to explore the prognostic factors affecting overall survival (OS) in patients aged ≥ 80 with superficial ESCC who underwent ESD.

METHODS

This study included 155 patients aged ≥ 80 who underwent ESD for superficial ESCC. Clinicopathological findings and long-term outcomes were examined. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and geriatric nutritional index (GNRI) were used to assess pre-treatment nutritional status.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine patients (18.7%) were aged ≥ 85. Thirty-five (22.6%) and 61 (39.4%) patients had a GNRI < 92 and PNI < 45, respectively. Metastatic relapse was observed in five cases, four (80%) of which resulted in death due to the primary disease. The median OS of all patients was 86 months. Although factors specifically associated with disease-specific survival were not identified, GNRI, PNI, comorbidity, and physical status were associated with OS. In multivariate analysis, age ≥ 85 years (p = 0.03), GNRI (p < 0.01), and PNI (p < 0.01) remained factors associated with OS. Patients aged ≥ 85 with either GNRI ≥ 92 or PNI ≥ 45 had a median OS of 106 months, whereas those aged ≥ 85 with GNRI < 92 had a median OS of 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

GNRI and PNI are important indicators for assessing the suitability of ESD in elderly patients aged ≥ 80. These indices can help predict OS and guide clinical decision-making for this patient population.

Combination of sarcopenia and systemic inflammation-based markers for predicting the prognosis of patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of sarcopenia and inflammation on the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

METHODS

Eighty patients who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer between July 2010 and December 2023 were included in this study. The psoas muscle index was used to assess sarcopenia. The C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio, prognostic nutritional index, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio were used to calculate the preoperative inflammatory marker levels. The prognostic factors for overall survival were determined using Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-four patients were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Sarcopenia showed a significant association with advanced tumor stage. Univariate analysis revealed a significant reduction in overall survival in patients with a prognostic nutritional index of <45, C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio of ≥0.047, cancer antigen 19-9 levels of ≥130 U/mL, sarcopenia, lymph node metastasis, and vascular invasion. Multivariate analysis revealed that a C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio of ≥0.047 (hazards ratio, 3.383; 95% confidence interval: 1.384-8.689; p< 0.001), cancer antigen 19-9 levels of ≥130 U/mL (hazards ratio, 2.720; 95% confidence interval: 1.291-6.060; p = 0.008), sarcopenia (hazards ratio, 3.256; 95% confidence interval: 1.535-7.072; p = 0.002) and vascular invasion (hazards ratio, 2.092; 95% confidence interval: 1.057-4.170; p = 0.034) were independent predictors of overall survival. Overall survival in the sarcopenia and high C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio groups was significantly poorer than that in the non-sarcopenia and low C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio and sarcopenia or high C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio groups.

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia and a high C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio are independent prognostic factors in patients with pancreatic cancer after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Thus, sarcopenia may have a better prognostic value when combined with the C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio.

Diagnostic Value of Nutritional Risk Index and Other Indices for Predicting Sarcopenia in the Middle-Aged and Elderly Population of China Without Cancer: A ROC Curve Analysis

Background

Emerging evidence suggests that systemic inflammatory and nutritional biomarkers, along with derived indices, could serve as predictors for sarcopenia in cancer population. This study aimed to compare these predictors, focusing on the nutritional risk index (NRI) and evaluate its diagnostic value, for sarcopenic patients without cancer.

Methods

This cross-sectional retrospective study included 1674 participants. Sarcopenia is defined by skeletal muscle mass index (SMI). Laboratory data reflected the values of systemic inflammatory and nutritional biomarkers, from which the derived indices were calculated. Multiple logistic regression analysis, ROC curve analysis, and the Youden index were utilized to assess the association between these markers and sarcopenia and determine the cutoff value for predicting sarcopenia.

Results

Among all participants (1110 men and 564 women, mean age 61.97 ± 9.83 years), 398 individuals were diagnosed with sarcopenia, indicating a prevalence of 23.78% in China's middle-aged and elderly population without cancer. Logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between all biomarkers and derived indices with sarcopenia. Following adjustment for potential confounders, lower NRI values were significantly associated with a higher incidence of sarcopenia. For sarcopenia diagnosis, the area under the curve (AUC) for NRI was 0.769 ([95% CI, 0.742, 0.796], P < 0.001), with a cutoff value of 106.016, sensitivity of 75.6% and specificity of 66.1%. NRI demonstrated greater predictive advantage for sarcopenia incidence in men compared to women.

Conclusion

A lower NRI value was associated with a higher prevalence of sarcopenia. NRI shows promise for early, rapid, and effective sarcopenia screening, particularly in China's middle-aged and elderly male population without cancer.

Preoperative geriatric nutritional risk index and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio relate to postoperative acute kidney injury in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery

Background

Acute kidney injury (AKI) poses a significant concern in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery due to increased vulnerability arising from aging, comorbidities, and surgery-related factors. Early detection and intervention are crucial for mitigating short- and long-term consequences. This study aims to investigate the correlation between preoperative Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and the occurrence of postoperative AKI in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery, as well as to assess the predictive value of their combined detection for postoperative AKI.

Methods

A retrospective study involving 347 elderly patients (aged 60 years or older) undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery explored the relationship between preoperative GNRI, NLR, and postoperative AKI. GNRI was calculated based on serum albumin and body weight ratios, while NLR was derived from preoperative blood tests.

Results

The combined GNRI and NLR test demonstrated superior predictive value (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.87) compared to individual markers. Multivariate logistic analysis identified age, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, comorbidities, preoperative GNRI, and NLR as independent risk factors for AKI. Correlation analysis affirmed a negative correlation between preoperative GNRI and AKI severity, and a positive correlation between preoperative NLR and AKI severity.

Conclusion

The preoperative GNRI and NLR have clinical values in predicting postoperative AKI in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery.

The geriatric nutrition risk index is longitudinally associated with incident Sarcopenia: evidence from a 5-year prospective cohort

BACKGROUND

Previous studies investigating the association between the geriatric nutrition risk index (GNRI) and sarcopenia either lacked longitudinal evidence or narrowly focused on specific populations.

AIMS

We aimed to reveal longitudinal associations of GNRI with sarcopenia risk in community-dwelling Chinese. We also investigated interaction effects of potential factors on such associations.

METHODS

We included participants aged ≥ 50 years with sufficient data from the WCHAT study who did not have sarcopenia at baseline and completed sarcopenia assessment during follow-up. GNRI was calculated according to the formula based on serum albumin, height and weight. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the 2019 AWGS consensus. Longitudinal associations between GNRI and sarcopenia were estimated by logistic regression with GNRI as either a continuous or categorical variable by tertiles, using generalized estimating equations (GEE) as sensitivity analyses. Subgroup analyses by potential covariates were conducted to detect interaction effects.

RESULTS

A total of 1907 participants without baseline sarcopenia were finally included, of whom 327 (17.1%) developed incident sarcopenia during 5-year follow-up. After controlling for confounders, sarcopenia risk decreased with each one standard deviation increase in GNRI (ORadjusted=0.36, 95% CI 0.31-0.43), and it also decreased successively from the lowest (< 111.2) through middle (111.2-117.7) to the highest (≥ 117.8) tertile of the GNRI level (P for trend < 0.001). Similar results were yielded by GEE. Such associations generally remained robust across subgroups with distinct characteristics, while significant differences were observed between different age groups (≥ 65 vs. <65 years) (interaction P-value < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

GNRI is longitudinally associated with sarcopenia risk with possibly age-specific differences in association magnitude, which holds implications for policymakers to conduct population-based risk assessment.

Correlation between sarcopenia and esophageal cancer: a narrative review

BACKGROUND

In recent years, the research on the relationship between sarcopenia before and after the treatment of esophageal cancer, as well as its impact on prognosis of esophageal cancer, has increased rapidly, which has aroused people's attention to the disease of patients with esophageal cancer complicated with sarcopenia. This review examines the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with esophageal cancer, as well as the relationship between sarcopenia (before and after surgery or chemotherapy) and prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer. Moreover, we summarized the potential pathogenesis of sarcopenia and pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies.

METHODS

A narrative review was performed in PubMed and Web of Science using the keywords ("esophageal cancer" or "esophageal neoplasm" or "neoplasm, esophageal" or "esophagus neoplasm" or "esophagus neoplasms" or "neoplasm, esophagus" or "neoplasms, esophagus" or "neoplasms, esophageal" or "cancer of esophagus" or "cancer of the esophagus" or "esophagus cancer" or "cancer, esophagus" or "cancers, esophagus" or "esophagus cancers" or "esophageal cancer" or "cancer, esophageal" or "cancers, esophageal" or "esophageal cancers") and ("sarcopenia" or "muscular atrophy" or "aging" or "senescence" or "biological aging" or "aging, biological" or "atrophies, muscular" or "atrophy, muscular" or "muscular atrophies" or "atrophy, muscle" or "atrophies, muscle" or "muscle atrophies"). Studies reporting relationship between sarcopenia and esophageal cancer were analyzed.

RESULTS

The results of the review suggest that the average prevalence of sarcopenia in esophageal cancer was 46.3% ± 19.6% ranging from 14.4 to 81% and sarcopenia can be an important predictor of poor prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer. Patients with esophageal cancer can suffer from sarcopenia due to their nutritional deficiencies, reduced physical activity, chemotherapy, and the effects of certain inflammatory factors and pathways. When classic diagnostic values for sarcopenia such as skeletal muscle index (SMI) are not available clinically, it is also feasible to predict esophageal cancer prognosis using simpler metrics, such as calf circumference (CC), five-count sit-up test (5-CST), and six-minute walk distance (6MWD).

CONCLUSIONS

Identifying the potential mechanism of sarcopenia in patients with esophageal cancer and implementing appropriate interventions may hold the key to improving the prognosis of these patients.

A possible combined appraisal pattern: predicting the prognosis of patients after esophagectomy

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the predictive merit of combined preoperative nutritional condition and systemic inflammation on the prognosis of patients receiving esophagectomy, with the assessment of model construction to extract a multidisciplinary phantom having clinical relevance and suitability.

METHODS

The software of R 4.1.2 was utilized to acquire the survival optimal truncation value and the confusion matrix of survival for the continuity variables. SPSS Statistics 26 was employed to analyze the correlation of parameters, where including t-test, ANOVA and the nonparametric rank sum test shall. Pearson chi-square test was used for categorical variables. The survival curve was retrieved by Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate analysis of overall survival (OS) was performed through log-rank test. Cox analysis was for survival analyze. The performance of the prediction phantom through the area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), decision curve analysis (DCA), nomogram and clinical impact curve (CIC) was plotted by R.

RESULTS

The AUC value of albumin-globulin score and skeletal muscle index (CAS) is markedly superior. Patients with diminished AGS and greater SMI were associated with improved overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (P < 0.01). The CAS composite evaluation model was calibrated with better accuracy and predictive performance. The DCA and CIC indicated a relatively higher net revenue for the prediction model.

CONCLUSIONS

The prediction model including the CAS score has excellent accuracy, a high net revenue, and favorable prediction function.

Pre-Therapeutic Sarcopenia among Cancer Patients: An Up-to-Date Meta-Analysis of Prevalence and Predictive Value during Cancer Treatment

This study will address the prevalence of pre-therapeutic sarcopenia (PS) and its clinical impact during cancer treatment among adult cancer patients ≥ 18 years of age. A meta-analysis (MA) with random-effect models was performed via a MEDLINE systematic review, according to the PRISMA statement, focusing on articles published before February 2022 that reported observational studies and clinical trials on the prevalence of PS and the following outcomes: overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), post-operative complications (POC), toxicities (TOX), and nosocomial infections (NI). A total of 65,936 patients (mean age: 45.7-85 y) with various cancer sites and extensions and various treatment modes were included. Mainly defined by CT scan-based loss of muscle mass only, the pooled prevalence of PS was 38.0%. The pooled relative risks were 1.97, 1.76, 2.70, 1.47, and 1.76 for OS, PFS, POC, TOX, and NI, respectively (moderate-to-high heterogeneity, I²: 58-85%). Consensus-based algorithm definitions of sarcopenia, integrating low muscle mass and low levels of muscular strength and/or physical performance, lowered the prevalence (22%) and heterogeneity (I² < 50%). They also increased the predictive values with RRs ranging from 2.31 (OS) to 3.52 (POC). PS among cancer patients is prevalent and strongly associated with poor outcomes during cancer treatment, especially when considering a consensus-based algorithm approach.

Sarcopenia: Molecular regulatory network for loss of muscle mass and function

Skeletal muscle is the foundation of human function and plays a key role in producing exercise, bone protection, and energy metabolism. Sarcopenia is a systemic disease, which is characterized by degenerative changes in skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function. Therefore, sarcopenia often causes weakness, prolonged hospitalization, falls and other adverse consequences that reduce the quality of life, and even lead to death. In recent years, sarcopenia has become the focus of in-depth research. Researchers have suggested some molecular mechanisms for sarcopenia according to different muscle physiology. These mechanisms cover neuromuscular junction lesion, imbalance of protein synthesis and breakdown, satellite cells dysfunction, etc. We summarize the latest research progress on the molecular mechanism of sarcopenia in this review in order to provide new ideas for future researchers to find valuable therapeutic targets and develop relevant prevention strategies.

Efficacy of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio for Cancer-Specific Survival in Elderly Patients with Localized Colon Cancer: A Single Center Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

Purpose

The prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been studied for colorectal cancer. Elderly patients in general tend to have comorbidities and decreased organ function that potentially influence the NLR score. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between NLR and cancer-specific survival in elderly patients with colon cancer, using a propensity score-matched analysis.

Patients and Methods

A total of 203 patients aged over 75 years who underwent curative resection for colon cancer and were diagnosed pathologically with stage II/III disease were eligible for entry to the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to NLR score: NLR-High (NLR≥4.5) group (NLR-H, n=60) and NLR-Low (NLR<4.5) group (NLR-L, n=143). After propensity score matching, 57 patients in each group were matched.

Results

Before matching, Charlson comorbidity index was significantly higher in the NLR-H group (4 vs 2, p<0.001). After matching, all factors were similar between the groups. The median follow-up period was 43 months (range, 1-160 months). Five-year relapse-free-survival (69.8% vs 87.3%, p=0.030) and cancer-specific survival (83.0% vs 96.0%, p=0.042) were significantly lower in the NLR-H group.

Conclusion

NLR appears to be a cancer-specific prognostic marker in elderly patients with colon cancer.

Usefulness of Nutrition and Inflammation Assessment Tools in Esophageal Cancer Treatment

Multidisciplinary treatment for esophageal cancer leads to nutritional and inflammatory changes. Recent studies showed that nutritional and inflammatory changes during multidisciplinary treatment affect both short and long-term oncological outcomes in esophageal cancer treatment. Therefore, evaluation of the nutritional and inflammatory status during treatment is necessary in order to optimize and utilize multidisciplinary therapy for esophageal cancer. If patients with esophageal cancer are able to determine their nutritional and inflammatory status, they will be able to select the optimal esophageal cancer, anti-inflammation, and nutritional treatments. Various types of nutrition and inflammation assessment tools have been developed and reported for esophageal cancer, with each tool having its own clinical characteristics, which must be understood before being applied in clinical practice. This review summarizes the background, current status, and future perspectives on the application of nutrition and inflammation assessment tools in esophageal cancer treatment.

Combined systemic inflammatory immunity index and prognostic nutritional index scores as a screening marker for sarcopenia in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer

Background

Sarcopenia is associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC). Currently, the diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia are complex and laborious. Increased evidence suggests the inflammatory state of the body is closely associated with the development of sarcopenia. The systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) and the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) are representative blood indicators of the status of the systemic inflammatory response, but the clinical significance of the combined testing of these two indicators remains unclear. We aimed to develop a simple and practical risk score (SII-PNI score) to screen patients with LAGC for sarcopenia on admission for early diagnosis.

Methods

We registered a prospective clinical study from January 2011 to May 2016 involving 134 patients with LAGC undergoing radical surgical resection. All patients followed the definition of sarcopenia in the Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia (AWGS) guidelines and were divided into sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups. SII-PNI score 0-2 was scored as 2 for high SII (≥432.9) and low PNI ( ≤ 49.5); score 1, either high SII or low PNI; score 0, no high SII or low PNI.

Results

All patients underwent radical surgery, including 31 patients (23.13%) with sarcopenia according to AWGS criteria. The SII-PNI score was significantly lower in the non-sarcopenic patients than in the sarcopenic patients (p < 0.001). Logistic multivariate analysis showed that the SII-PNI score predicted an independent prognostic factor for sarcopenia (p < 0.001). Patients with high SII-PNI scores had significantly worse prognosis than those with low SII-PNI scores (p < 0.001). The SII-PNI score was an independent prognostic factor for predicting overall survival and disease-free survival (p = 0.016, 0.023).

Conclusion

Peripheral blood parameters SII-PNI scores accurately identify sarcopenia in patients with LAGC and could be used as potential systemic markers.

Inflammatory Indexes as Prognostic Factors of Survival in Geriatric Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case Control Study of Eight Slovak Centers

Background and Aims: Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) often occurs in geriatric patients. The aim of our study was to compare overall survival and progression-free survival between geriatric patients (>75 years) and patients younger than 75 years and to identify predictive factors of survival in geriatric patients with HCC. Material and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with HCC diagnosed in Slovakia between 2010−2016. Cases (HCC patients ≥75 years) were matched to controls (HCC patients <74 years) based on the propensity score (gender, BCLC stage and the first-line treatment). Results: We included 148 patients (84 men, 57%) with HCC. There were no differences between cases and controls in the baseline characteristics. The overall survival in geriatric patients with HCC was comparable to younger controls (p = 0.42). The one-, two-, and three-year overall survival was 42% and 31%, 19% and 12%, and 12% and 9% in geriatric patients and controls, respectively (p = 0.2, 0.4, 0.8). Similarly, there was no difference in the one- and two-year progression-free survival: 28% and 18% vs. 10% and 7% in geriatric HCC patients and controls, respectively (p = 0.2, 1, -). There was no case−control difference between geriatric HCC patients and younger HCC controls in the overall survival in the subpopulation of patients with no known comorbidities (p = 0.5), one and two comorbidities (p = 0.49), and three or more comorbidities (p = 0.39). Log (CRP), log (NLR), log (PLR), and log (SII) were all associated with the three-year survival in geriatric HCC patients in simple logistic regression analyses. However, this time, only log (NLR) remained associated even after controlling for the age and BCLC confounding (OR 5.32, 95% CI 1.43−28.85). Conclusions. We found no differences in overall survival and progression-free survival between older and younger HCC patients. Parameters of subclinical inflammation predict prognosis in geriatric patients with HCC. A limitation of the study is small number of the treated patients; therefore, further investigation is warranted.

Perineural Invasion Is a Significant Indicator of High Malignant Degree and Poor Prognosis in Esophageal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Perineural invasion (PNI) is a malignant metastatic mode of tumors and has been reported in many tumors including esophageal cancer (EC). However, the role of PNI in EC has been reported differently. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to focus on the role of PNI in EC.

Methods

Eight databases of CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, Scopus, Wiley, ISI, PubMed, and EBSCO are used for literature search. The association of PNI with gender, pathological stages of T and N (pT and pN), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), lymph node metastasis, 5-year overall survival (OS), and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was examined in the meta-analysis by Revman5.0 Software. The pooled OR/HR and 95% CI were used to assess the risk and prognostic value.

Results

Sixty-nine published studies were screened for analysis of PNI in EC. The incidence of PNI in esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) was different, but not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The PNI-positive patients had a significantly higher risk of pT stage (OR = 3.85, 95% CI = 2.45–6.05, p < 0.00001), pN stage (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.52–2.28, p < 0.00001), LVI (OR = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.55–3.85, p = 0.0001), and lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.56–5.29, p = 0.0007). Furthermore, the cumulative analysis revealed a significant correlation between PNI and poor OS (HR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.24–1.51, p < 0.0001), as well as poor DFS (HR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.38–1.74, p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

PNI occurrence is significantly related to tumor stage, LVI, lymph node metastasis, OS, and DFS. These results indicate that PNI can serve as an indicator of high malignant degree and poor prognosis in EC.

Prognostic Value of Pretreatment Skeletal Muscle Mass Index in Esophageal Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis

The prognostic role of pretreatment skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) has been verified in several types of cancers. However, it remains unclear whether pretreatment SMI is a valuable prognostic indicator in esophageal cancer. The aim of the present study was to identify the prognostic value of pretreatment SMI in esophageal cancer. PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant studies up to November 10, 2021. The hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were combined to assess the association of pretreatment SMI with the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of esophageal cancer patients. In total, 17 studies involving 2441 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results demonstrated that a lower SMI was significantly associated with poorer OS (HR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.09-1.27, P < 0.001) and DFS (HR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.10-2.88, P = 0.019). In addition, subgroup analysis based on treatment (surgery vs. nonsurgery), tumor type (squamous cell carcinoma vs. adenocarcinoma) and cutoff value of SMI showed similar results. The present findings demonstrated that pretreatment SMI is an independent prognostic indicator for esophageal cancer patients, and patients with a lower pretreatment SMI are more likely to have a worse prognosis. However, additional prospective high-quality studies are needed to verify the above findings.

The Prognostic Value of Pretreatment Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in Esophageal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose: To explore the prognostic role of the pretreatment geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) in patients with esophageal cancer. Methods: Several electronic databases were searched from inception to January 27, 2022, for relevant studies. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were combined to assess the association between pretreatment GNRI and the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer. The primary and secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA software (version 12.0). Results: Fourteen retrospective studies involving 3981 patients were enrolled. The pooled results demonstrated that lower pretreatment GNRI was an independent prognostic risk factor for poorer OS (HR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.33-1.63, P < 0.001) and PFS (HR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.24-2.31, P = 0.001). Subgroup analysis based on pathological type (squamous cell carcinoma vs. esophageal cancer) and treatment (non-surgery vs. surgery) showed similar results. Conclusion: Pretreatment GNRI was significantly associated with prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer, and lower pretreatment GNRI predicted worse survival. However, more prospective high-quality studies are needed to verify these findings.

Clinical Significance of Nutrition and Inflammation in Esophageal Cancer Patients with Surgery: A Meta-Analysis

Many studies have reported that the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) may be associated with prognosis of esophageal cancer (EC); however, the results are inconsistent. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of preoperative GNRI and CAR on the prognosis of EC. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to analyze the relationship between GNRI/CAR and prognosis. Publication bias was estimated using Begg's funnel plot asymmetry test and Egger's test. A total of 21 studies comprising 5,018 patients were included in the meta-analysis. A decreased GNRI was significantly associated with poorer overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.808, 95% CI: 1.489-2.196, P < 0.001) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR = 1.769, 95% CI: 1.193-2.624, P = 0.005), and an increased CAR was significantly associated with lower OS (HR = 2.179, 95% CI: 1.587-2.992, P < 0.001), CSS (HR = 1.733, 95% CI: 1.333-2.253, P < 0.001), and recurrence-free survival (HR = 2.178, 95% CI: 1.328-3.573, P = 0.002). Thus, preoperative GNRI and CAR may be noninvasive and powerful tools for predicting survival outcomes in patients with EC.