Objective  To retrospectively evaluate the prognostic risk factors of patients with gallbladder carcinoma and the effect of normal prognostic nutrition index (PNI) on the survival.

  Methods  We retrospectively analyzed 63 patients with gallbladder carcinoma treated in our hospital between January 2008 and December 2012. The independent prognostic factors of the patients were calculated by the Cox proportional hazards model. The benefit of normal PNI status on the prognosis was further explored in the patients using survival analysis.

  Results  Lymph node metastasis, PNI≤50, squamous carcinoma, liver invasion and choledoch invasion were the risk factors of overall survival (OS) in the univariate analysis, while only lymph node metastasis (HR=4.495, 95%CI 2.380~8.488, P < 0.001) and PNI (HR=0.195, 95%CI 0.098~0.389, P < 0.001) were the dependent influential factors of the prognosis and OS in the multivariate analysis. The effect of PNI on OS was even more statistically significant different in the younger patients (≤65y) than in the elder (>65y) (younger group: P=0.011; elder group: P=0.078).

  Conclusion  The gallbladder carcinoma patients with normal PNI status (> 50) have better OS compared to the patients with PNI≤50, with statistical differences between the two. And it is more significant in the patients of the younger group (≤65y), comparing with the elder group. PNI could be taken as a potential prognostic evaluation factor for the gallbladder carcinoma patients and can provide a more comprehensive evaluation of patients' conditions to clinician.