Prognostic value of inflammatory and nutritional indexes among advanced NSCLC patients receiving PD‐1 inhibitor therapy

Abstract

Though immunotherapy has to some extent improved the prognosis of patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), only a few patients benefit. Furthermore, immunotherapy efficacy is affected by inflammatory and nutritional status of patients. To investigate whether dynamics of inflammatory and nutritional indexes were associated with prognosis, 223 patients were analysed retrospectively. The inflammatory indexes of interest were neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and systemic immune‐inflammation index (SII) while prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and the haemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte and platelet (HALP) score were considered as nutritional indexes. Patients were divided into high and low groups or into ‘increase’ and ‘decrease’ groups based on pre‐treatment cut‐off values and index dynamics after 6‐week follow‐up respectively. High pre‐treatment PLR (OR = 2.612) and increase in NLR during follow‐up (OR = 2.516) were significantly associated with lower objective response rates. Using multivariable analysis, high pre‐treatment PLR (HR, 2.319) and increase in SII (HR, 1.731) predicted shorter progression‐free survival, while high pre‐treatment NLR (HR, 1.635), increase in NLR (HR, 1.663) and PLR (HR, 1.691) and decrease in PNI (HR, 0.611) predicted worse overall survival. The nomogram's C‐index in inside validation was 0.718 (95% CI: 0.670–0.766). Our results indicated both nutritional and inflammatory indexes are associated with survival outcomes. Inflammatory indexes were additionally linked to treatment response. Index dynamics are better predictors than baseline values in predicting survival in advanced NSCLC patients receiving PD‐1 inhibitor combined with chemotherapy as first‐line.