The combination of body composition conditions and systemic inflammatory markers has prognostic value for patients with gastric cancer treated with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the prognostic value of the association between systemic inflammation response markers (red blood cell distribution width, neutrophil platelet score, prognostic nutritional index, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil-to-platelet ratio, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, and systemic immune-inflammation index) and poorer body composition conditions (sarcopenia, myosteatosis, and sarcopenic obesity) among patients with gastric cancer who underwent adjuvant chemoradiotherapy after radical gastrectomy.

Methods: A computed tomography scan was performed within 2 wk of prechemoradiotherapy to identify sarcopenia, myosteatosis and sarcopenic obesity. Tumor and systemic inflammatory response information was recorded. Logistic analysis was used to explore the potential risk factors associated with body composition. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were performed for survival analysis. A nomogram was constructed to serve as a prognostic prediction tool for the 3- and 5-y overall survival rates.

Results: The study included 223 patients (74 women and 149 men) with gastric cancer treated with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy after radical gastrectomy. The incidences of sarcopenia, myosteatosis, and sarcopenic obesity were 30%, 39%, and 16%, respectively. Logistic analysis demonstrated that a low prognostic nutritional index is a risk factor for sarcopenia, myosteatosis, and sarcopenic obesity. Based on survival analysis, stage (hazard ratio [HR], 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23-0.84; P = 0.01), the neutrophil platelet score (HR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.31-0.82; P = 0.01), the prognostic nutritional index (HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.24-0.68; P = 0.00) and sarcopenic obesity (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.31-0.93; P = 0.03) remained independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Accuracy was improved when systemic inflammation markers were incorporated into the nomogram compared with when they were excluded, and the predicted C indexes of the nomogram with and without systemic inflammatory markers were 0.71 (95% CI, 0.67-0.73) and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.57-0.68), respectively.

Conclusion: The systemic inflammatory response associated with progressive nutritional conditions and body composition conditions with systemic inflammation markers incorporated presented better prognostic value.