Combined analysis of the preoperative and postoperative prognostic nutritional index offers a precise predictor of the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is considered useful for predicting the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer (GC). This retrospective study investigated the relationship between both the pre- and postoperative PNI and the prognosis of GC patients. The subjects of this study were 254 patients who underwent curative surgery for histopathologically diagnosed GC. Patients were divided according to their pre- and postoperative PNI as follows: preoperative PNI of ae<yen> 52 (pre-PNIHigh), preoperative PNI of < 52 (pre-PNILow), postoperative PNI of ae<yen> 49 (post-PNIHigh), and postoperative PNI of < 49 (pre-PNILow). Both pre- and postoperative PNI were significantly associated with GC prognosis. Patients were then divided as follows: group A, patients with pre-PNIHigh and post-PNIHigh; group B, patients with either pre-PNIHigh and post-PNILow or pre-PNILow and post-PNIHigh; and group C, patients with pre-PNILow and post-PNILow. The 5-year survival rates were 100.0, 83.0, and 67.1% for groups A, B, and C, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that the combination of pre- and postoperative PNI was an independent prognostic indicator. Combined analysis of the pre- and postoperative PNI offers accurate information about the prognosis of patients with GC.