Correlation of Baseline Nutritional Status with Response to Chemotherapy and Survival of Advanced Esophageal Cancer Patients

Objective To assess the impact of baseline nutritional status on response, toxicity to chemotherapy and survival of the patients with advanced esophageal cancer.

Methods We collected the clinical data and baseline nutritional status before chemotherapy from the patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic esophageal cancer who had received the first-line chemotherapy. Statistical analysis was performed to identify the correlations of nutritional status with response, toxicity to chemotherapy and survival.

Results Hemoglobin level was related to grade 3 to 4 hematologic toxicities; the patients with hemoglobin level > 130g/L had lower incidence of grade 3 to 4 hematologic toxicities than those with hemoglobin level 90-130g/L (34.2% vs. 72.2%, P=0.008), but the differences were not statistically significant between their nonhematologic toxicities (P > 0.05). In multivariate analysis, the independent prognostic factors of survival were presence of distant metastases and weight loss. Distant metastases (P=0.005) and weight loss≥5% (P=0.002) were associated with poor prognosis.

Conclusion In patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic esophageal cancer, baseline nutritional status before chemotherapy may play a role in predicting toxicity to chemotherapy and assessing the prognosis.