Comprehensive nutritional index for predicting overall survival in hepatocellular carcinoma patients after multiple transarterial chemoembolization

Abstract

Background and objectives Little is known about nutritional status in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after multiple rounds of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). We established a comprehensive nutritional index (CNI) and evaluated its prognostic value for overall survival (OS) and time to progression (TTP). Methods and study design HCC patients (N=282) who underwent multiple TACE treatments were enrolled. CNI was established by principal component analysis based on body mass index, usual body weight percentage, hemoglobin, total lymphocyte count, and albumin; the cutoff value was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve and Youden index analysis. The correlation between CNI and treatment-related complications was analyzed with Spearman's method. The Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model were used to compare the prognostic values of CNI, prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and nutrition risk index (NRI) for OS and TTP. Results Nutritional status declined after repeated TACE (p 0.05). Conclusions HCC patients have poor nutritional status after multiple TACE treatments, which predicts shorter OS and TTP. The prognostic performance of CNI is superior to those of PNI and NRI.