Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is a prognostic marker for laryngeal cancer patients with curative resection

Abstract

Background: To investigate the prognostic value of pre-treatment Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score in laryngeal cancer.

Methods: Preoperative CONUT score was retrospectively calculated in 154 laryngeal cancer patients who underwent curative resection in our hospital from 2013 to 2016. The associations of CONUT with clinicopathological factors and survival were evaluated. The efficacy of CONUT score to predict prognosis was evaluated.

Results: The CONUT score was associated with body mass index (p = 0.033), neutrophil (p = 0.011), tumor size (p = 0.017), pTNM stage (p = 0.001), adjuvant radiotherapy (p < 0.001), negative pathologic factors (p < 0.001), and larynx preservation (p < 0.001). Patients with a higher CONUT score had worse overall survival (hazard ratio: 1.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13-3.72, p = 0.039) and disease-free survival (hazard ratio: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.19-3.90, p = 0.011). The area under the curve of CONUT score (0.728) was higher than Preoperative Nutritional Index (0.72), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (0.675), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (0.687).

Conclusion: The CONUT score can be useful for predicting survival in laryngeal cancer patients after curative resection.

Keywords: CONUT score; immune-nutritional indicators; laryngeal cancer; prognostic factor; survival analysis.