A Novel Albumin-Related Nutrition Biomarker Predicts Breast Cancer Prognosis in Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Two-Center Cohort Study

Background: Recently, there has been a growing focus on the prognostic significance of nutrition-related biomarkers. We attempted to explore the association between a novel albumin-related nutrition marker called “lymphocyte × albumin (LA)” and disease-free survival (DFS) in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods: In total, 711 non-metastatic breast cancer patients who underwent NAC at two medical centers were retrospectively analyzed. We performed least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis as well as multivariate Cox regression analyses to identify the variables associated with DFS and to establish a predictive nomogram. Results: The nomogram incorporated four variables based on the multivariate analysis of DFS in the training cohort: LA, ypN stage, ypT stage, and hormone receptor status. In comparison with the traditional TNM staging system, the nomogram demonstrated superior discrimination, calibration ability, and clinical usefulness in both the training set and internal and external validation sets. Furthermore, patients stratified into different risk groups resulted in significant differences in DFS. Conclusions: LA is an independent prognostic biomarker, and LA-based prognostic nomogram offers a more precise assessment of DFS for breast cancer patients treated with NAC, potentially serving as a valuable tool for personalized prognostic predictions.