title: The Inflammatory-Nutritional Index; assessing nutritional status and prognosis in gastrointestinal and lung cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prognostic capacity of the Inflammatory-Nutritional Index (INI) in gastrointestinal and lung cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal study, including patients from a chemotherapy service in Brazil, between July 2008 and May 2010. INI (Albumin/CRP) and nutritional status (by Subjective Global Assessment - SGA) were evaluated. Risk INI was defined as lower than 0.35. The mean follow-up of survival was 1.6 year. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata 11.1™.
  
  
  RESULTS
  74 patients participated in the study, mean age 63.4, most of them male (58%) and presenting gastrointestinal cancer (71%). Malnutrition was identified in 87% of the patients (22% severely malnourished). The mean INI was 2.67 and 54% of the patients had INI levels considered as risk. During the follow-up there were 49 deaths (66%). The median survival time for INI risk patients was significantly shorter than for normal INI ones (p = 0,002). It took 0.78 year for the INI risk subsample to decline 50%, while it took 2.78 year for the normal INI subsample. INI risk and severe malnutrition were independent predictors for poor survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The INI showed prognostic capacity in this sample and may be a useful tool, based on routinely available blood tests, to assess cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program on Health and Behavior-Catholic University of Pelotas, Brazil. Nutrition College-Federal University of Pelotas. Brazil.. pastorecarla@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Carla Alberici
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Pastore
authors.affiliation: Nutrition College-Federal University of Pelotas. Brazil..
authors.forename: Silvana Paiva
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Orlandi
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program on Health and Behavior-Catholic University of Pelotas, Brazil..
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011379:Prognosis