Advanced Lung Cancer Inflammation Index, a New Prognostic Score, Predicts Outcome in Patients With Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

BackgroundA recent study indicated that the Advanced Lung Cancer Inflammation Index (ALI) could predict overall survival (OS) in patients with non–small-cell lung cancer. However, the prognostic value in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) has not been studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the relationship between ALI and the prognosis of SCLC. Patients and MethodsWe screened 460 patients who were diagnosed with SCLC from June 2006 to December 2011 in Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center. Data acquisition was through patients' medical information, and blood results recorded at the time of diagnosis. ALI was calculated as the formula: body mass index × serum albumin/neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio. ResultsIn total, 365 patients were enrolled in this study. Patients were allocated to 2 groups: ALI < 19.5 (n = 60) and ALI ≥ 19.5 (n = 305). For patients with ALI < 19.5 and ≥ 19.5, the median OS was 10.97 and 20.14 months, respectively (P < .001). On multivariate analysis, clinical stage (P < .001), performance status (P = .001), lactate dehydrogenase (P < .001), and ALI (P = .005) were all independent prognostic factors for OS. ConclusionThe results of this study demonstrated that lower ALI was significantly associated with worse OS in SCLC patients. The evaluation of ALI could authenticate the patients with poor prognosis and be a useful prognostic marker in clinical practice.