A Correlation of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index With the Progression of Sarcopenia in Patients With Lung Cancer.

Abstract

Aims/Background Malnutrition and sarcopenia frequently occur in individuals with lung cancer and are strongly associated with adverse clinical outcomes. The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), which integrates serum albumin with body weight, offers a straightforward assessment of nutritional condition. Hence, this retrospective study aimed to investigate the association between GNRI scores and sarcopenia in a cohort of lung cancer patients. Methods This retrospective study collected clinical data from lung cancer patients (n = 102) admitted between January 2023 and December 2024. Logistic regression analyses, both univariate and multivariate, were utilized to assess the association between GNRI and sarcopenia. Furthermore, the diagnostic utility of GNRI was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results Of the total recruited lung cancer patients (n = 102), 41 (40.2%) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified GNRI as an independent predictor of sarcopenia (odds ratio [OR] = 0.912, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.865-0.961, p < 0.001). The ROC analysis yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.805 (95% CI: 0.718-0.892), indicating that GNRI has excellent diagnostic performance for detecting sarcopenia. Conclusion GNRI serves as an independent predictor of sarcopenia among lung cancer patients and demonstrates favorable clinical utility. As a practical and cost-effective screening measure, GNRI can facilitate early identification of patients at nutritional risk, informing timely intervention.