Nutritional status predicts adjuvant chemotherapy outcomes for stage III colorectal cancer

Objectives: Previously, adjuvant chemotherapy using oxaliplatin was a standard treatment for patients with node-positive colorectal cancer (CRC) who underwent curative surgery. The factor predicting adverse events and therapeutic effect have not yet been established. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 42 patients diagnosed with stage III CRC between April 2009 and March 2013 in our institution were included in this study. The indicators of host nutritional status were body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), serum albumin, Onodera's prognostic nutritional index (OPNI), and Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS). The indicators of host immunocompetence was total lymphocyte counts, total neutrophil counts, granulocytes/lymphocytes ratio (G/L ratio). Results: The overall recurrence rate was 26.1%. Patients who had a recurrence were more likely to be older. The recurrence was not associated with type of regimen or adverse events. The cases with a few cumulative doses and relative dose intensity of oxaliplatin experienced significantly more recurrence. Nutritional status indicators, such as the serum albumin level, OPNI, and the modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) were associated with the adjuvant chemotherapy outcome. Our study results indicated worse nutritional status induced worse disease-free survival (DFS) and more recurrence. Conclusion: The host's nutritional status associated with outcomes in stage III CRC patients.