Prognostic significance of Naples prognostic score in non-small-cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases

Aims: The authors aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of Naples prognostic score (NPS) in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases. Materials & methods: A total of 186 consecutive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional regression models were used to assess the significance of NPS in overall survival and disease-free survival. Results: Multivariate Cox proportional regression analysis revealed that NPS was a significant independent predictive indicator for overall survival (hazard ratio: 1.897; 95% CI: 1.184-3.041; p = 0.008) and disease-free survival (hazard ratio: 2.169; 95% CI: 1.367-3.44; p = 0.001). Conclusion: NPS was a powerful prognostic indicator for outcome in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases.Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 80–85% of all lung cancers. Survival rates in NSCLC patients with brain metastases without treatment are very poor. Radiation therapy is typically an effective treatment strategy. However, poor clinical outcomes pose a significant challenge after radiation therapy for NSCLC with brain metastases. Therefore, a reliable indicator is needed to predict outcomes in NSCLC patients with brain metastases and identify the specific subgroups of patients who will benefit from aggressive, individualized treatment. Recently, a novel Naples prognostic score (NPS) index has received considerable interest because it comprehensively reflects the patient's inflammatory and nutritional status in prognostic assessment. However, the prognostic significance of NPS is unknown for patients with stage IV NSCLC with brain metastases. The aim of this study was to explore the prognostic significance of NPS for NSCLC patients with brain metastases. The results confirmed that NPS was a powerful prognostic indicator for outcome in advanced NSCLC patients with brain metastases.