The Preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index Predicts Short-Term and Long-Term Outcomes of Patients with Stage II/III Gastric Cancer: Analysis of a Multi-Institution Dataset

Background/Aims: Identification of nutritional indicators to predict short-term and long-term outcomes is necessary to provide appropriate treatment to patients with gastric cancer. Methods: We designed an analysis of a multicenter dataset of patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy between 2010 and 2014. We enrolled 842 eligible patients who had stage II/III gastric cancer. The area under the curve (AUC) values were compared among prognostic nutritional index (PNI), calculated as 10 x albumin g/dL + 0.005 x total lymphocyte count/mm(3), and its constituents, and the predictive value of preoperative PNI for postoperative short-term and long-term outcomes was evaluated. Results: Preoperative PNI exhibited higher AUC values (0.719) for 1-year survival than its constituents, and the optimal cutoff value was 47. The disease-free and overall survival of patients in the PNI-low group were significantly shorter compared with those in the PNI-high group. The prognostic difference between the PNI-high and PNI-low groups was significantly greater in the subgroup of patients who underwent total gastrectomy. Clinically relevant postoperative complications were more frequently observed in the PNI-low group. Conclusions: The preoperative PNI is a useful predictor reflecting the incidence of complications after gastrectomy and the prognosis of patients with stage II/III gastric cancer.