Prognostic Value of Controlling Nutritional Status Score in Advanced Hypopharyngeal Cancer

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of the preoperative controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score in patients with resectable advanced hypopharyngeal cancer. Methods This retrospective study included 113 advanced hypopharyngeal cancer patients who underwent curative resection in our hospital from 2013 to 2017. The association between the CONUT score and clinicopathological variables was evaluated. The association between CONUT score and survival was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox regression. The efficacy of the CONUT score and other immune‐nutritional markers to predict prognosis was compared using a time‐dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Results Patients were divided into the high‐CONUT score group (≥3) and the low‐CONUT score group (≤2) according to ROC analysis. The CONUT score was associated with body mass index ( p = 0.047), monocyte ( p = 0.021), pharyngocutaneous fistula ( p = 0.045), flap repairment ( p = 0.034), tumor (T) classification ( p = 0.034), node (N) classification ( p = 0.036), subsite of tumor ( p = 0.035), and negative pathologic factors ( p < 0.001). Tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) stage, negative pathologic factors, adjuvant radiotherapy, postoperative chemoradiotherapy, and CONUT score were independent prognostic factors for survival. Patients with a higher CONUT score had worse overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio: 2.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.44–5.29, p = 0.002) and disease‐free survival (hazard ratio: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.28–4.91, p = 0.007). The area under the curve of the CONUT score (0.799) to predict 5‐year OS was greater than those of Preoperative Nutritional Index (0.769), platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (0.643), neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (0.565), and lymphocyte‐to‐monocyte ratio (0.577). Conclusion The CONUT score is a prognostic marker for patients with resectable advanced hypopharyngeal cancer. Level of Evidence 3 Laryngoscope , 133:2613–2620, 2023