Predictive Value of Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 and Prognostic Nutritional Index for Esophageal Cancer Patients Undergoing Definitive Radiochemotherapy

Abstract

Objectives: The present study identified the prognostic nutritional factors and their relationships with survival outcome in patients with esophageal cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

Methods: A total of 97 esophageal cancer patients previously treated with CRT were enrolled in the study. The nutritional status was assessed by Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002). Weight, total serum protein, albumin, prealbumin level, red blood cell, total lymphocyte count, and hemoglobin were also recorded. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) was calculated.

Results: The proportion of patients at nutritional risk from baseline until the sixth week of radiotherapy was increased. In univariate analysis, the NRS-2002 cutoff score ≤3 at baseline was associated with improved 2-year overall survival (OS) than that ≥4. The maximum NRS-2002 cutoff score ≤2 during treatment was associated with an improved 2-year OS that ≥3. The baseline PNI or PNI at the end of CRT ≥45 was associated with improved 2-year OS than that <45. Cox regression analyses revealed that the TNM stage, NRS-2002 score at baseline, and PNI at the third week of CRT were independent risk factors for prognosis.

Conclusions: The NRS2002 scores and PNI are simple and useful markers for predicting the long-term outcome in patients with esophageal cancer after CRT.

Acknowledgments

We thank the patients for their time and participation in this study.

Disclosure Statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Youth Science Foundation of China, No. 81401911, Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, No. LY16H160037; Medical and Health Science and Technology Program of Zhejiang Province, No. 2016KYA041; and General Research Program of Zhejiang Medicine and Hygiene, No. 20182448552.