Does advanced lung inflammation index (ALI) have prognostic significance in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer?

BackgroundLung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed and death-related cancer type and is more frequent in males. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85% of all case. In this study, it was aimed to research the relationship between advanced lung inflammation index (ALI) and the primary mass maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and C-reactive protein (CRP) at initial diagnosis and the prognostic value of ALI in determining the survival in metastatic NSCLC. MethodsA total of 112 patients diagnosed as stage 4 non-small-lung cancer in our hospital between January 2006 and December 2013 were included in this study. ALI was calculated as body mass index (BMI)xserum albumin/neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). The patients were divided into two groups as ALI<18 (high inflammation) and ALI18 (low inflammation). The log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard model were used to identify predictors of mortality. ResultsEvaluation was made of 94 male and 18 female patients with a mean age of 59.79.9years. A statistically significant negative relationship was determined between ALI and CRP values (P<.001), but no relationship was found between ALI and SUVmax values (P=.436). The median survival time in patients with ALI<18 was 12months and, in those with ALI18, it was 16months (P=.095). ConclusionALI is an easily calculated indicator of inflammation in lung cancer patients. Values <18 can be considered to predict a poor prognosis.