Impact of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, Glasgow Prognostic Score, and postoperative decrease in psoas muscle index on...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Gastric cancer (GC) recurrence after curative surgery remains a clinical challenge.
• Identifying reliable predictive markers for postoperative recurrence is crucial for patient management.
• Inflammatory markers and muscle indices are increasingly recognized for their prognostic value.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the predictive value of preoperative and postoperative inflammatory markers and psoas muscle index (PMI) for recurrence in gastric cancer patients.
• To assess the change in these markers after surgery and their association with recurrence.
• To determine if PMI changes can predict postoperative recurrence after curative gastrectomy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 35 patients with pStage II and III gastric cancer undergoing curative gastrectomy.
• Analysis of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), and PMI pre-surgery and at 6 months post-surgery.
• Statistical analysis to correlate marker levels and changes with postoperative recurrence.

Main Results:

• Preoperatively, high NLR, low PNI, and high GPS were associated with recurrence.
• Postoperatively (6 months), high NLR, high C-reactive protein, and high GPS predicted recurrence.
• A significant reduction in PMI at 6 months post-surgery was observed in recurrent cases; no recurrence was seen with PMI increase.

Conclusions:

• Postoperative reduction in PMI at 6 months post-surgery is a potential predictive marker for recurrence in gastric cancer.
• Changes in PMI, alongside inflammatory markers like NLR and GPS, offer insights into recurrence risk after gastrectomy.
• Further validation of PMI as a predictive tool for gastric cancer recurrence is warranted.