Inflammatory and Nutritional Biomarkers in Patients With Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the relationship between pretreatment inflammatory and nutritional biomarkers in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy (nCRT).

SAMPLE & SETTING: 213 patients with newly diagnosed stage II-III ESCC who received nCRT at an academic hospital in Taiwan.

METHODS & VARIABLES: Electronic health record data were used. Records on inflammatory and nutritional biomarkers and clinical outcomes were extracted. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict treatment-related adverse events, Cox regression was used for survival outcomes, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine optimal cutoff values.

RESULTS

There was a significant association between low prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and nCRT toxicities and survival. Advanced cancer stage, high platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and occurrence of pneumonia/infection were linked to survival outcomes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

PNI shows promise in predicting prognosis, helps identify high-risk patients, and enables nurses to apply tailored interventions.