BACKGROUND: The correlation between the morphological structure of the patellofemoral joint (PFJ) and the severity of knee joint osteoarthritis (KOA) remains uncertain. This study aims to investigate the correlation between the severity of knee joint osteoarthritis and the alignment of patellofemoral and patellar height on radiographs. METHODS: This multi-center, retrospective study analyzed the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and anteroposterior radiographs of 534 adult outpatients with KOA. To evaluate the radiographic severity of KOA, anteroposterior radiographs of the knee and the Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grade were used. Knee MRI scans were used to measure the patellar length ratio (PLR), sulcus angle (SA), lateral patellar tilt angle (LPTA), and the distance between tibial tuberosity and trochlear groove (TT-TG). We examined the association between the configuration of the PFJ, arrangement, and harshness of the KOA. Information on participants' demographics, such as age, sex, side, height, and weight, was collected. A chi-squared test was used for the correlation of radiographic severity of KOA with sex and the affected side. Spearman correlation was used for patellofemoral alignment or morphology and the radiographic severity of lateral KOA. Multiple linear regression models were used for the association between LPTA, SA, TT-TG, and severity of KOA after accounting for demographic variables. RESULTS: The study comprised of 534 patients; of these, 339 (63%) were female. A total of 586 knees were evaluated in this study. Age showed a strong positive correlation with KOA severity ( r  = 0.516, P <0.01), whereas LPTA showed a strong negative correlation ( r  = -0.662, P <0.01). Additionally, SA ( r  = 0.616, P <0.05), and TT-TG showed a strong positive correlation ( r  = 0.770, P <0.01) with tibiofemoral osteoarthritis (TFOA) severity. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that knee osteoarthritis severity (β = -2.946, P <0.001) and side (β = -0.839, P  = 0.001) was associated with LPTA; knee osteoarthritis severity (β = 5.032, P <0.001) and age (β = -0.095, P <0.001) was associated with SA; knee osteoarthritis severity (β = 2.445, P <0.001), sex (β = -0.326, P  = 0.041), body mass index (β = -0.061, P  = 0.017) and age (β = -0.025, P <0.001) was associated with TT-TG. CONCLUSION Radiographic severity of KOA was positively associated with age, SA, and TT-TG but negatively associated with LPTA.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/pathology* ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Patellofemoral Joint/pathology* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Adult ; Patella/pathology* ; Radiography

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been included in various neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) regimens for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, due to the relatively short period for the use of ICIs in NAT, patients' clinical outcomes with different regimens are uncertain. Our study aims to examine the efficacy of neoadjuvant immunotherapy (NAIT) for NSCLC patients and compare the overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) of patients receiving different NAT regimens. METHODS: This study retrospectively included 308 NSCLC patients treated with different NAT regimens and subsequent surgery in National Cancer Center between August 1, 2016 and July 31, 2022. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis were conducted to evaluate the prognosis of patients. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 27.5 months, the 1-year OS rates were 98.8% and 96.2%, and the 2-year OS rates were 96.6% and 85.8% in patients of the NAIT and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) group, respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 0.339; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.160-0.720; P = 0.003). The 1-year EFS rates were 96.0% and 88.0%, and the 2-year EFS rates were 92.0% and 77.7% for patients in the NAIT and NACT groups, respectively (HR, 0.438; 95% CI, 0.276-0.846; P = 0.010). For patients who did not achieve pathological complete response (pCR), significantly longer OS ( P = 0.012) and EFS ( P = 0.019) were observed in patients receiving NAIT than those receiving NACT. Different NAT regimens had little effect on surgery and the postoperative length of stay (6 [4, 7] days vs . 6 [4, 7] days, Z = -0.227, P = 0.820). CONCLUSIONS NAIT exhibited superior efficacy to NACT for NSCLC, resulting in longer OS and EFS. The OS and EFS benefits were also observed among patients in the NAIT group who did not achieve pCR.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/mortality* ; Male ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms/mortality* ; Middle Aged ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Adult ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Treatment Outcome ; Immunotherapy/methods*

BACKGROUND: Pre-transplant exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) significantly increases the risk of allograft rejection after liver transplantation (LT); however, whether ICI-related rejection leads to increased graft loss remains controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between ICI-related allograft rejection and perioperative graft loss. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of adult liver transplant recipients with early biopsy-proven T-cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) at Liver Transplantation Center of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from June 2019 to September 2024. The pathological features, clinical characteristics, and perioperative graft survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients who underwent early TCMR between June 2019 and September 2024 were included. Based on pre-LT ICI exposure, recipients were categorized into ICI-related TCMR (irTCMR, n = 12) and conventional TCMR (cTCMR, n = 16) groups. Recipients with irTCMR had a higher median Banff rejection activity index (RAI) (6 vs . 5, P = 0.012) and more aggressive tissue damage and inflammation. Recipients with irTCMR showed higher proportion of treatment resistance, achieving a complete resolution rate of only 8/12 compared to 16/16 for cTCMR. Graft loss occurred in 5/12 of irTCMR recipients within 90 days after LT, with no graft loss in cTCMRs recipients. Cox analysis demonstrated that irTCMR with an ICI washout period of <30 days was an independent risk factor for perioperative graft loss (hazard ratio [HR], 6.540; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.067-40.067, P = 0.042). CONCLUSION IrTCMR is associated with severe pathological features, increased resistance to treatment, and higher graft loss in adult liver transplant recipients.
Humans ; Liver Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Graft Rejection/immunology* ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; T-Lymphocytes/drug effects* ; Graft Survival/immunology* ; Aged

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate programmed death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score in predicting the safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in treating patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a real-world setting. METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter, observational study enrolled adult patients who received PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in China and met the following criteria: (1) had pathologically confirmed, unresectable stage III-IV NSCLC; (2) had a baseline PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS); and (3) had confirmed efficacy evaluation results after PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. Logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and Cox regression were used to assess the progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) as appropriate. RESULTS: A total of 409 patients, 65.0% ( n = 266) with a positive PD-L1 TPS (≥1%) and 32.8% ( n = 134) with PD-L1 TPS ≥50%, were included in this study. Cox regression confirmed that patients with a PD-L1 TPS ≥1% had significantly improved PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.747, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.573-0.975, P = 0.032). A total of 160 (39.1%) patients experienced 206 irAEs, and 27 (6.6%) patients experienced 31 grade 3-5 irAEs. The organs most frequently associated with irAEs were the skin (52/409, 12.7%), thyroid (40/409, 9.8%), and lung (34/409, 8.3%). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a PD-L1 TPS ≥1% (odds ratio [OR] 1.713, 95% CI 1.054-2.784, P = 0.030) was an independent risk factor for irAEs. Other risk factors for irAEs included pretreatment absolute lymphocyte count >2.5 × 10 9 /L (OR 3.772, 95% CI 1.377-10.329, P = 0.010) and pretreatment absolute eosinophil count >0.2 × 10 9 /L (OR 2.006, 95% CI 1.219-3.302, P = 0.006). Moreover, patients who developed irAEs demonstrated improved PFS (13.7 months vs. 8.4 months, P <0.001) and OS (28.0 months vs. 18.0 months, P = 0.007) compared with patients without irAEs. CONCLUSIONS A positive PD-L1 TPS (≥1%) was associated with improved PFS and an increased risk of irAEs in a real-world setting. The onset of irAEs was associated with improved PFS and OS in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving PD-1/PD-L1-based therapy.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/metabolism* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Aged ; B7-H1 Antigen/metabolism* ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/metabolism* ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

BACKGROUND: While emotional distress, encompassing anxiety and depression, has been associated with negative clinical outcomes, its impact across various clinical departments and general hospitals has been less explored. Previous studies with limited sample sizes have examined the effectiveness of specific treatments (e.g., antidepressants) rather than a systemic management strategy for outcome improvement in non-psychiatric inpatients. To enhance the understanding of the importance of addressing mental health care needs among non-psychiatric patients in general hospitals, this study retrospectively investigated the impacts of emotional distress and the effects of early detection and management of depression and anxiety on hospital length of stay (LOS) and rate of long LOS (LLOS, i.e., LOS >30 days) in a large sample of non-psychiatric inpatients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 487,871 inpatients from 20 non-psychiatric departments of a general hospital. They were divided, according to whether they underwent a novel strategy to manage emotional distress which deployed the Huaxi Emotional Distress Index (HEI) for brief screening with grading psychological services (BS-GPS), into BS-GPS ( n = 178,883) and non-BS-GPS ( n = 308,988) cohorts. The LOS and rate of LLOS between the BS-GPS and non-BS-GPS cohorts and between subcohorts with and without clinically significant anxiety and/or depression (CSAD, i.e., HEI score ≥11 on admission to the hospital) in the BS-GPS cohort were compared using univariable analyses, multilevel analyses, and/or propensity score-matched analyses, respectively. RESULTS: The detection rate of CSAD in the BS-GPS cohort varied from 2.64% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.49%-2.81%) to 20.50% (95% CI: 19.43%-21.62%) across the 20 departments, with a average rate of 5.36%. Significant differences were observed in both the LOS and LLOS rates between the subcohorts with CSAD (12.7 days, 535/9590) and without CSAD (9.5 days, 3800/169,293) and between the BS-GPS (9.6 days, 4335/178,883) and non-BS-GPS (10.8 days, 11,483/308,988) cohorts. These differences remained significant after controlling for confounders using propensity score-matched comparisons. A multilevel analysis indicated that BS-GPS was negatively associated with both LOS and LLOS after controlling for sociodemographics and the departments of patient discharge and remained negatively associated with LLOS after controlling additionally for the year of patient discharge. CONCLUSION Emotional distress significantly prolonged the LOS and increased the LLOS of non-psychiatric inpatients across most departments and general hospitals. These impacts were moderated by the implementation of BS-GPS. Thus, BS-GPS has the potential as an effective, resource-saving strategy for enhancing mental health care and optimizing medical resources in general hospitals.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Psychological Distress ; Inpatients/psychology* ; Aged ; Anxiety/diagnosis* ; Depression/diagnosis*

Objective: To investigate the application effectiveness of the artificial intelligence(AI) based Generative Pre-treatment tool of Skeletal Pathology (GPTSP) in measuring functional lumbar radiographic examinations. Methods: This is a retrospective case series study,reviewing the clinical and imaging data of 34 patients who underwent lumbar dynamic X-ray radiography at Department of Orthopedics, the Second Hospital of Shandong University from September 2021 to June 2023. Among the patients, 13 were male and 21 were female, with an age of (68.0±8.0) years (range:55 to 88 years). The AI model of the GPTSP system was built upon a multi-dimensional constrained loss function constructed based on the YOLOv8 model, incorporating Kullback-Leibler divergence to quantify the anatomical distribution deviation of lumbar intervertebral space detection boxes, along with the introduction of a global dynamic attention mechanism. It can identify lumbar vertebral body edge points and measure lumbar intervertebral space. Furthermore, spondylolisthesis index, lumbar index, and lumbar intervertebral angles were measured using three methods: manual measurement by doctors, predefined annotated measurement, and AI-assisted measurement. The consistency between the doctors and the AI model was analyzed through intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Kappa coefficient. Results: AI-assisted physician measurement time was (1.5±0.1) seconds (range: 1.3 to 1.7 seconds), which was shorter than the manual measurement time ((2 064.4±108.2) seconds,range: 1 768.3 to 2 217.6 seconds) and the pre-defined annotation measurement time ((602.0±48.9) seconds,range: 503.9 to 694.4 seconds). Kappa values between physicians' diagnoses and AI model's diagnoses (based on GPTSP platform) for the lumbar slip index, lumbar index, and intervertebral angles measured by three methods were 0.95, 0.92, and 0.82 (all P<0.01), with ICC values consistently exceeding 0.90, indicating high consistency. Based on the doctor's manual measurement, compared with the predefined label measurement, altering AI assistance, doctors measurement with average annotation errors reduced from 2.52 mm (range: 0.01 to 6.78 mm) to 1.47 mm(range: 0 to 5.03 mm). Conclusions: The GPTSP system enhanced efficiency in functional lumbar analysis. AI model demonstrated high consistency in annotation and measurement results, showing strong potential to serve as a reliable clinical auxiliary tool.
Humans ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Lumbar Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Artificial Intelligence ; Radiography ; Spondylolisthesis/diagnostic imaging*

OBJECTIVES: Endometrial tuberculosis, which commonly affects women of reproductive age, is a significant cause of intrauterine adhesions (IUA), potentially leading to hypomenorrhea, amenorrhea, and infertility. Hysteroscopic adhesiolysis is the primary treatment for IUA; however, studies specifically addressing its efficacy in tuberculosis-induced IUA remain scarce. This study aims to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of hysteroscopic adhesiolysis for IUA caused by endometrial tuberculosis. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with tuberculosis-induced IUA who underwent hysteroscopic adhesiolysis at the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between May 2014 and October 2022. Clinical data including age, medical history, adhesion severity, surgical treatment, and reproductive outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 39 patients identified, 2 were lost to follow-up. A total of 37 patients were included, with a follow-up duration ranging from 6 months to 9 years. Hypomenorrhea was reported in 24 (64.9%) patients, secondary amenorrhea in 10 (27.0%) patients, and normal menstruation in 3 (8.1%) patients. Most patients presented with primary infertility (59.5%), and only 2 (5.4%) had secondary infertility. The median American Fertility Society (AFS) score at initial assessment was 10 (range, 8-12); 8 (21.6%) patients had moderate IUA, and 29 (78.4%) had severe IUA. A total of 86 surgical procedures were performed across 37 patients, with 27 patients undergoing 2 or more surgeries. Postoperatively, 25 (67.6%) patients achieved normalization of the uterine cavity, while 12 (32.4%) still had a reduced cavity. Only 7 (18.9%) patients had a grossly normal endometrium at the final surgery, all of whom had moderate adhesions at the initial procedure. Menstrual flow returned to normal in 12 (32.4%) patients, while 25 (67.6%) continued to experience hypomenorrhea. Of 29 patients who attempted in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET), only 6 (20.7%) conceived. Among these, 4 (13.8%) delivered at term via cesarean section; one case was complicated by postpartum hemorrhage due to uterine atony and another by placental adhesion. CONCLUSIONS Endometrial tuberculosis can lead to severe IUA. Hysteroscopic adhesiolysis facilitates cavity restoration and improvement of menstrual conditions, but the overall reproductive outcomes remain suboptimal.
Humans ; Female ; Hysteroscopy/methods* ; Tissue Adhesions/etiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Uterine Diseases/etiology* ; Infertility, Female/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Tuberculosis, Female Genital/surgery* ; Fertility ; Pregnancy

OBJECTIVES: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infertility rates have been steadily rising worldwide. Identifying risk factors for contrast agent reflux into the myometrium during hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography (HyCoSy) is of clinical significance in reducing this complication and improving infertility treatment. However, there is currently no standardized pre-evaluation method for predicting intra-myometrial contrast reflux, with clinical assessment often relying on physician experience and patient symptoms. This study aims to identify imaging risk factors for contrast agent reflux into the myometrium using four-dimensional (4D) HyCoSy and to construct a nomogram-based predictive model to assist in clinical decision-making. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1 274 infertile women who underwent 4D HyCoSy at the Women and Children's Hospital of Hunan and the the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 1, 2020, to December 15, 2022. Patients were divided into a reflux group (n=234) and a non-reflux group (n=1 040) based on the presence of intra-myometrial contrast reflux. Univariate and multivariable Logistic regression analyses were used to identify significant predictors, which were then used to construct a nomogram model. Internal validation was performed using 500 bootstrap resamples. RESULTS: The age of the reflux group was significantly higher than that of the non-reflux group [(31.82±5.27) years vs (30.66±4.83) years, P=0.001 1]. Primary infertility was more common in the non-reflux group (50.96%), while secondary infertility dominated in the reflux group (76.50%), with 72.65% having a history of gynecological surgery (P<0.001). Abnormal menstrual volume and discomfort during the procedure were more common in the reflux group, while the non-reflux group tolerated higher contrast agent doses (P<0.001). Imaging differences included endometrial thickness, tubal wall smoothness, and peritoneal contrast dispersion, with the non-reflux group showing thicker endometrium and smoother, more patent tubes. The nomogram model yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.854, indicating good predictive performance. The AUC of the decision curve analysis (DCA) for internal validation of the model was 0.737. When the threshold probability for contrast agent reflux into the myometrium ranged from 0.05 to 0.95, the maximum net benefit reached 0.18. The net benefit of applying the nomogram predictive model exceeded that of either full intervention or no intervention, indicating that the model demonstrates good clinical predictive performance. CONCLUSIONS The nomogram model, based on infertility type, endometrial thickness, contrast agent dose, and discomfort symptoms, effectively predicts intra-myometrial contrast agent reflux after 4D HyCoSy. It provides a valuable tool for clinicians to implement early preventive measures and reduce the risk of contrast leakage and associated complications.
Humans ; Female ; Nomograms ; Contrast Media/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Ultrasonography/methods* ; Hysterosalpingography/methods* ; Infertility, Female/diagnostic imaging* ; Myometrium/diagnostic imaging* ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVES: Oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) has become a well-established treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) due to its advantages of being minimally invasive, effective, and associated with fewer complications. However, relying solely on lateral fixation provides limited strength and uneven load distribution. Conventional posterior bilateral fixation after OLIF typically requires intraoperative repositioning, increases fluoroscopy frequency, and involves extensive dissection of posterior muscles and soft tissues, resulting in greater trauma, blood loss, and risks of dural tear, nerve root injury, and persistent postoperative low back pain. This study aims to compare the clinical efficacy of robot-assisted single-position OLIF with lateral plating and posterior unilateral fixation, OLIF with lateral fixation alone, and OLIF combined with posterior bilateral fixation for treating single-segment LSS, and to explore how to enhance fixation stability, reduce trauma, and achieve precise minimally invasive outcomes without changing patient positioning. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data from patients treated for single-segment LSS between January 2020 and June 2023 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University. Patients were divided into 3 groups: Robot group (robot-assisted single-position OLIF with lateral plate and posterior unilateral fixation, 33 cases), lateral group (OLIF with lateral fixation alone, 52 cases), and combined group (OLIF with posterior bilateral fixation, 45 cases). Surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy frequency, hospital stay, pedicle screw placement accuracy, and complication rates were recorded. Pain visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores were assessed preoperatively, postoperatively, and at the final follow-up. Radiological evaluations (X-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging) measured interbody disc height (IDH), intervertebral foraminal height (IFH), and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the dural sac. Differences between pre- and postoperative imaging indices were statistically analyzed, and complication rates, fusion rates, and cage subsidence rates were recorded. RESULTS: All patients exhibited good positioning of internal fixation devices and cages, with significant symptom relief and no cases of spinal cord injury or symptom worsening. The follow-up time was (15.2±3.6) months. The operation time of the robot group was (70.62±8.99) min, which was longer than that of the lateral group (45.90±6.09) min and shorter than that of the combined group (110.12±8.44) min. The intraoperative blood loss of the robot group was (44.27±6.87) mL, which was more than that of the lateral group (33.58±9.73) mL and less than that of the combined group (79.19±10.35) mL. The number of intraoperative fluoroscopy times of the robot group was (9.49±2.25), which was comparable to that of the lateral group (7.45±2.02) but less than that of the combined group (12.24±4.25). The hospital stay of the robot group was (9.28±2.10) days, which was longer than that of the lateral group (7.95±1.91) days and shorter than that of the combined group (12.49±5.07) days. The screw placement accuracy of the robot group was 98.48%, which was higher than that of the combined group (90.55%). Postoperative and final follow-up VAS and ODI scores were significantly lower than preoperative scores in all 3 groups (all P<0.05), and there were no significant differences in preoperative VAS and ODI scores among the groups (all P>0.05). Radiologically, IDH, IFH, and CSA at the surgical segment were significantly increased postoperatively and at final follow-up compared to preoperatively and at final follow-up compared to preoperative values (all P<0.05), with no significant differences among the groups postoperatively (all P>0.05). Internal fixation remained stable during the follow-up period, and all cages achieved fusion at final follow-up. The intervertebral fusion rate of the robot-assisted group was 93.40%, which was similar to that of the combined group (95.56%) and higher than that of the lateral approach group (90.34%). The complication rate of the robot-assisted group was 6.1%, which was comparable to that of the combined group (8.9%) and lower than that of the lateral approach group (15.4%) (P<0.05). No cases of fixation loosening or breakage were observed throughout the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS Robot-assisted single-position OLIF with lateral plate combined with posterior unilateral fixation effectively achieves indirect decompression and excellent spinal stability without the need for intraoperative repositioning. It provides high pedicle screw accuracy, reduces intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy times, and complication rates, offering a fully minimally invasive new treatment option for single-segment LSS.
Humans ; Spinal Stenosis/surgery* ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery* ; Spinal Fusion/instrumentation* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Bone Plates ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Adult

OBJECTIVES: Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, posing a serious threat to public health. Prognostication of overall survival (OS) in patients undergoing radical gastrectomy remains a clinical priority. Evidence suggests that preoperative nutritional and inflammatory status correlated with postoperative outcomes. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of the skeletal muscle index at the third lumbar vertebra (L3-SMI) as a trichotomous variable and to compare the performance of commonly used nutritional and inflammation-related indicators in predicting postoperative survival in GC patients. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed clinical data of patients who underwent radical gastrectomy with neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 2011 and 2018 at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. L3-SMI was measured by preoperative CT, and 8 preoperative nutritional/inflammatory indices were calculated from the latest laboratory tests before surgery: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV), albumin-globulin ratio (AGR), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI). L3-SMI was categorized into 3 groups using X-tiler software. ROC curves were used to determine optimal cut-off values for the other eight indices. Kaplan-Meier curves and univariate/multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the association between variables and OS. Concordance index (C-index) and subgroup analysis assessed predictive performance and consistency across patient subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 546 patients were included, with a minimum follow-up time of 36 months. Kaplan-Meier and univariate analysis showed that L3-SMI and the 8 indicators were significantly associated with OS (all P<0.01). After adjusting for age, gender, tumor site, differentiation, pTNM stage, type of surgery, anemia, CEA, and AFP, multifactorial Cox analysis revealed that L3-SMI (HR=0.676, 95% CI 0.523 to 0.872), AGR (HR=0.611, 95% CI 0.452 to 0.827), and PNI (HR=0.590, 95% CI 0.418 to 0.833) were independent predictors of OS. The full model confirmed the independent prognostic roles of L3-SMI, AGR, and PNI. Among all indicators, PNI had the highest C-index for 1-year OS prediction (0.632, 95% CI 0.568 to 0.695), while AGR showed the best performance at 3 years (0.585, 95% CI 0.548 to 0.622) and 5 years (0.578, 95% CI 0.542 to 0.613). Subgroup analysis indicated that higher L3-SMI, AGR, and PNI were associated with lower mortality risk in patients aged<65 years, with lower gastric tumors, poor differentiation, stage III pTNM, or who underwent subtotal gastrectomy. CONCLUSIONS Compared with other indicators, preoperative nutritional markers such as L3-SMI, AGR, and PNI demonstrated superior prognostic value for OS in gastric cancer patients undergoing radical gastrectomy. Assessing these indices can help identify patients at high risk of poor prognosis, thereby guiding targeted nutritional interventions and potentially improving survival outcomes.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/mortality* ; Gastrectomy/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Aged ; Adult ; Nutritional Status ; Inflammation ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Preoperative Period ; Survival Rate