Prognostic Nutritional Indices in Cancer Outcomes
Summary
Prognostic nutritional indices (PNIs) have emerged as integral biomarkers that combine laboratory measures of serum albumin and lymphocyte count to reflect both nutritional status and systemic immune competence in patients with cancer. Originally devised to assess surgical risk, PNIs have since been applied across tumour types to predict outcomes such as overall survival, progression-free survival and treatment response. These indices are inexpensive, widely available and readily incorporated into clinical workflows, offering a practical complement to conventional staging systems. As research advances, PNIs are also being integrated with other inflammatory markers, lymphocyte subsets or novel albumin-related metrics to form composite scores and nomograms that enhance prognostic precision. Globally, the adoption of PNIs has expanded from gastrointestinal and thoracic malignancies to breast, colorectal and genitourinary cancers, reflecting broad recognition that malnutrition and immune dysfunction negatively influence treatment tolerance, recurrence patterns and long-term survival.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Prognostic Nutritional Indices in Cancer Outcomes publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in prognostic nutritional indices in cancer outcomes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI): A score combining serum albumin concentration and peripheral lymphocyte count to assess nutritional and immune status in cancer patients.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI): A class of drugs that block inhibitory pathways in T cells to enhance antitumour immunity.
Overall Survival (OS): The duration from treatment initiation until death from any cause.
Progression-Free Survival (PFS): The time from treatment start to disease progression or death.
Nomogram: A graphical tool that integrates multiple variables to predict individual patient outcomes.
References
- Prognostic nutritional index as a prognostic biomarker for gastrointestinal cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Frontiers in Immunology (2023).
- Identification of prognostic nutritional index as a reliable prognostic indicator for advanced lung cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. Frontiers in Nutrition (2023).
- Research progress and value of albumin-related inflammatory markers in the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer: a review of clinical evidence. Annals of Medicine (2023).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.