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.