title: Prognostic nutritional index: a tool to predict the biological aggressiveness of gastric carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), which is calculated based on the serum albumin concentration and the peripheral blood lymphocyte count, has been used to assess the immunological and nutritional condition of patients with digestive diseases. However, its value as an indicator of aggressiveness in gastric carcinoma has not been fully investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and forty-eight cases of gastric carcinoma were studied with regard to the relationship between the preoperative PNI value and the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A lower preoperative PNI value significantly correlated with greater tumor depth, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic permeation, and venous invasion. Moreover, the PNI value proved to be an independent prognostic indicator in gastric carcinoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PNI value can be a useful tool to predict the prognosis of patients with gastric carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Fukuoka Higashi Medical Center, 1-1-1 Chidori, Koga, 811-3195, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nozoe
authors.forename: Mizuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ninomiya
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Akito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsukuma
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ezaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin