Objective: To evaluate the correlation between the advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) and the L3 skeletal muscle index (L3SMI) and their prognostic value in elderly patients with esophageal cancer (EC).
Materials and Methods: The clinical data of 158 elderly patients with EC were collected retrospectively. The L3SMI measures the area of skeletal muscle at the level of the third lumbar (L3) vertebra using computed tomography (CT). A high L3SMI and low L3SMI group were created using sex-based quartiles. The ALI, prognostic nutrition index (PNI), and geriatric nutrition risk index (GNRI) were calculated according to standard laboratory protocols.
Results: The CT diagnostic criteria for senile sarcopenia in South China are height ≤ 32.96 cm²/m² for females and height ≤ 35.4 cm²/m² for males. The logistic regression analysis showed that a low L3SMI was significantly associated with a low ALI. Survival analysis revealed EC patients with a low L3SMI and a low ALI had poorer overall survival (OS) than patients with a high L3SMI and a high ALI. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses showed that the L3SMI and ALI were independent predictors of EC prognosis in elderly individuals.
Conclusion: There was a significant correlation between the PNI, GNRI, ALI, and L3SMI. Overall, our findings show the L3SMI and ALI are clinical indicators that can potentially be used to independently predict the prognosis of elderly EC patients and display good predictive value.
Keywords: esophageal cancer, sarcopenia, L3 skeletal muscle index, survival, advanced lung cancer inflammation index