ARE INFLAMMATORY AND NUTRITIONAL MARKERS A PROGNOSTIC FACTOR IN GASTRIC CANCER PATIENTS? (Article Officially Endorsed by Science Citation Index)

Abstract

Background/Aim: Inflammatory and nutritional markers are associated with the detection of prognosis in malignancy. This study aims to investigate the changes in inflammatory biomarkers during neoadjuvant therapy and after surgery to predict the prognosis in patients with gastric cancer.

Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected before and after surgery from n=138 patients with gastric cancer after receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) to determine the prognostic importance of inflammatory and nutritional markers.

Results: Postoperative albumin and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) values were decreased significantly compared to the preoperative period (p < 0.05). Similarly, the postoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), CRP-albumin ratio (CAR), and systemic immune inflammation index (SII) values increased significantly compared to the preoperative period (p < 0.05). However, no significant change was observed in postoperative CRP levels compared to preoperative values (p >0.05). The preoperative and postoperative CRP and the CAR, and postoperative NLR, PLR, and SII values exhibited significant effects on the length of survival in the univariate analysis (p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, preoperative CRP and postoperative NLR and PLR values emerged as significant and independent predictors of survival (p < 0.05). On the Kaplan-Meier analysis results, the shortest survival time, 4.73 months, was observed in the group with SII values greater than 2500.

Conclusions: Systemic inflammatory markers preoperative CRP and postoperative NLR and PLR may be reliable parameters for independent prediction of survival in patients receiving curative treatment for gastric cancer.

Registry Number: Registration No. 2717 on 20 th July 2023, Health Sciences University, Adana City Training, and Research Hospital, Turkey.