Inflammation has been demonstrated to play a major role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Studies have demonstrated systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) correlates with patient survival in various solid malignancies such as non-small cell lung cancer. However, limited information is available on the prognostic implication of SII index in patients with Glioblastoma undergoing standard Stupp protocol: resection followed by radiotherapy with concurrent and maintenance temozolomide.We retrospectively reviewed 158 patients who underwent standard Stupp protocol for glioblastoma with sufficient laboratory assessment from 2003 - 2018. SII index was determined using a complete metabolic count obtained at the start of treatment and calculated as platelet count × neutrophil count/lymphocyte count. Optimal SII cutoff value was determined by ROC curve analysis. The study cohort was subsequently stratified based on SII cutoff for further comparative analysis using Cox regression. Chi-squared analysis was used to compare categorical variables.The median follow up time of the entire group was 8.4 months. At an optimal SII cutoff of 1635 (AUC 67.7%, P < 0.001), 62 patients (39.2%) were designated in the high SII group and 96 patients (60.8%) were designated in the low SII group. Median OS in high and low SII group was 7.6 months and 15.2 months respectively (P = 0.007). Achieving a gross total resection was associated with low SII (P = 0.020). Age and gender were not associated with SII. In the cox regression analysis, only high SII was independently associated with a worse OS (HR: 2.37, 95% CI: 2.83-1.91, P < 0.001).High SII scores were independently associated with worse OS in patients with Glioblastoma undergoing Stupp Protocol. This study suggests that SII may be an effective pre-treatment prognostic indicator of patient mortality. SII may be a beneficial clinical tool to identify patients with poorer prognosis who may not benefit from aggressive therapy and instead opt for hypofractionation treatment, monomodality treatment, or even best supportive care. Furthermore, the relationship between SII with immunotherapy remains unknown and an investigation of the therapeutic potential in the setting of elevated SII is warranted.M. Hung: None. P. Xu: None. B.G. Coutu: None. C. Zhang: Research Grant; University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Read full abstract