Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) Score Is a Prognostic Factor for Patients with Gastric Cancer Treated by Perioperative FLOT

Purpose The aim of this study was to show that the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score has predictive value in gastric cancer (GC) patients treated with perioperative fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, or docetaxel (FLOT). Methods A total of 161 GC patients treated with perioperative FLOT in our center were included in the study. The ideal cutoff values for the CONUT score were obtained using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and the patients were divided into low (<= 3) and high (> 3) CONUT groups. The associations of CONUT with clinicopathological factors and survival were evaluated retrospectively. Results The median follow-up time was 11.2 months (2.3-32.3 months). The median overall survival (OS) for the entire population was 14.7 months (95% CI 13.5-15.9 months). Median OS was not reached in the low-CONUT group, but it was 14.2 months (95% CI 12.6-15.9) in the high-CONUT group and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.002). The univariate Cox proportional hazards model revealed that OS was significantly associated with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status (p < 0.001), T4b stage (p 0.03), modified Glasgow Prognostic Scores (mGPS) (p 0.005), prognostic index (PI) (p 0.011), prognostic nutritional index (PNI) (p < 0.001), CONUT score (p 0.003), and mucinous histology (p 0.004). In multivariate analysis, ECOG performance status (p 0.029), PNI (p 0.001), CONUT score (p 0.040), and mucinous histology (p 0.001) were still identified as independent prognostic factors for OS. Conclusions Our study demonstrated the prognostic significance of the CONUT score in GC patients treated with perioperative FLOT.