Abstract:
Objective To investigate the prognostic value of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 82 patients with DLBCL treated at Tianjin Union Medical Center between June 2010 and June 2016. The optimal cutoff value of PNI was determined using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the Youden index. The relationship of high and low PNI with the clinical characteristics of the patients, therapeutic efficacy, and prognosis were analyzed.
Results Overall, mean PNI of the patients was 46.17±8.8. When the PNI was 44.15, the Youden index was found to be maximal, with a sensitivity of 74.6% and specificity of 67.2%. There were 38 patients (46.3%) in the low PNI group (< 44.15) and 44 patients (53.7%) in the high PNI group (≥ 44.15). Data analysis showed that PNI was correlated with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS), Ann Arbor stage, international prognostic index (IPI) score, and lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) level (P < 0.05). The total effective rate of the low PNI group was significantly lower than that of the high PNI group (65.8% vs. 86.4%; χ2=4.848; P=0.028). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate of the entire group of patients was 69.1%. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates of the low PNI group (86.8%, 67.8%, and 56.9%, respectively) were significantly lower than that of the high PNI group (96.7%, 89.5%, and 80.2%, respectively; χ2=9.421, P=0.002). Univariate analysis showed that PNI < 44.15, ECOG PS ≥ 2, IPI>2, stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ, and lymphocyte count < 1.0×109/L had a significant impact on predicting OS (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that PNI < 44.15 (P=0.006) and stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ (P=0.011) were independent factors for predicting OS.
Conclusions PNI might be used as a simple and feasible clinical prognostic indicator in patients with DLBCL.