Value of the prognostic nutritional index and weight loss in predicting metastasis and long-term mortality in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background To evaluate the influence of the progonistic nutritional index (PNI) and weight loss on metastasis and long-term mortality in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods We retrospectively reviewed 694 newly diagnosed patients with non-disseminated, biopsy-proven NPC. Survival analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of PNI and weight loss. Results Multivariate analysis demonstrated that a low pre-therapy PNI (