Prognostic Value of Pretreatment Prognostic Nutritional Index in Patients With Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis

Background The pretreatment prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is correlated with poor prognosis in several malignancies. However, the prognostic role of PNI in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unclear. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the prognostic significance of PNI in patients with RCC. Methods We searched the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases up to February 2021. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate correlation between PNI and survival endpoints in RCC. Results Ten studies with 4,908 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated that a low PNI associated with poor overall survival (HR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.67-2.64, p<0.001), shorter progression-free survival, disease-free survival, recurrence-free survival (HR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.67-2.36, p<0.001), and poor cancer-specific survival (HR = 2.95, 95% CI = 1.61-5.39, p<0.001). Additionally, the prognostic ability of PNI was not affected by subgroup analysis factors. Conclusion The meta-analysis indicated that low PNI associated with shorter survival outcomes in patients with RCC. Therefore, PNI could be used as an effective prognostic indicator in RCC.