AUTHOR=Liu Zhuoran , Zhou Haoge , Zhou Yu , Yu Menglin , Cheng Yonglang , Li Jing TITLE=Prognostic impact of the Controlling Nutritional Status Score in patients with biliary tract cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2023.1240008 DOI=10.3389/fonc.2023.1240008 ISSN=2234-943X ABSTRACT=Background

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a malignancy associated with unfavorable outcomes. Advanced BTC patients have a propensity to experience compromised immune and nutritional status as a result of obstructive jaundice and biliary inflammation. Currently, there is a lack of consensus on the impact of the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score in the context of BTC prognosis. The purpose of this study is to conduct a meta-analysis on the association between CONUT and the prognosis of patients suffering from BTC.

Methods

A defined search strategy was implemented to search the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases for eligible studies published until March 2023, with a focus on overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival/recurrence-free survival(RFS), and relevant clinical characteristics. The prognostic potential of the CONUT score was evaluated using hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

In this meta-analysis, a total of 1409 patients from China and Japan were involved in 9 studies. The results indicated that the CONUT score was significantly correlated with worse OS (HR=2.13, 95% CI 1.61-2.82, P<0.0001) and RFS (HR=1.83, 95% CI 1.44–2.31, P<0.0001) in patients with BTC. And, the analysis showed that a high CONUT score was significantly associated with clinical characteristics such as jaundice (OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.14–2.25, P=0.006), poorly differentiated tumor (OR=1.43, 95% CI=1.03–1.99, P=0.03), pT3 and 4 stage of the tumor (OR=1.87, 95% CI=1.30–2.68, P=0.0007), and complications of Clavien-Dindo classification grade IIIa or higher (OR=1.79, 95% CI=1.03–3.12, P=0.04).

Conclusion

This meta-analysis indicates that a high CONUT score can serve as a significant prognostic indicator for survival outcomes among patients diagnosed with BTC.