Clinical significance of prognostic nutritional index in myelodysplastic syndrome

Abstract

Background: Prognostic nutritional index has been found to be related to the clinical outcomes of patients with cancer. However, its role in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients is unclear. We aimed to assess the value of nutritional status in predicting the prognosis of MDS patients. Methods: Totally 121 MDS patients were analyzed retrospectively. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) was used to assess nutritional status of the patients. The bio-informatics tool X-tile was used to define the threshold, and accordingly patients were divided into PNIlow and PNIhigh groups, the characteristics were compared between two groups. Results: The PNIhigh was associated with better OS (Overall Survival) than PNIlow in MDS patients (Median OS, 28.03 months versus 19.63 months, P = 0.0205). But there were no statistical differences in PFS (Progression-Free-Survival) between the two groups (P = 0.9373). The univariable and multivariable COX proportional hazard analysis adjusted for age, gender, platelet count, HB level and IPSS-R scores, and the results showed that PNI is a useful index in the evaluation of the OS of MDS (HR 0.588, 95%CI 0.374–0.926, P = 0.024). Conclusion: PNI would be a simple and immediately available tool for predicting the prognosis of MDS.