Prognostic Nutritional Index
The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) is an immunonutritional clinical metric that reflects aspects of a patient’s nutritional and immune status using routinely available blood-test data.
The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) is an immunonutritional clinical metric that reflects aspects of a patient’s nutritional and immune status using routinely available blood-test data. It is used primarily for risk stratification rather than as a therapeutic target, and has been investigated alongside markers such as the Glasgow Prognostic Score, C-reactive protein–albumin–lymphocyte index, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, systemic inflammation response index, systemic immune-inflammation index, and geriatric nutritional risk index.
Recent studies have evaluated PNI in diverse clinical settings, including gastrointestinal, pancreatic, esophageal, colorectal, and oral cancers; osteosarcoma; renal transplantation; neonatal cholestasis; psychiatric illness; and postoperative care in older adults with hip fractures. Reported applications include estimating survival, recurrence-related outcomes, postoperative delirium, treatment completion, and acute renal allograft rejection. In gastrointestinal surgery, PNI has also been incorporated into composite prognostic tools, including a symptom-tumor-nutrition score in which a PNI of 40 or lower contributed one risk point. Although these findings support its association with disease prognosis and treatment course, differing populations, study designs, and thresholds limit direct comparison and do not establish that PNI itself is causally responsible for clinical outcomes.
Where the papers sit
10 papers from the last 6 months study Prognostic Nutritional Index directly · updated from PubMed 3 Oct 2026
Study type 0 clinical trials · 9 observational · 1 human data
Themes 3 themes
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Immunonutritional Risk Stratification
Pre-treatment inflammatory and nutritional scores are being used to estimate treatment completion, postoperative complications, and survival across cancer and surgical populations. Glasgow Prognostic Score, PNI, CRP-albumin-lymphocyte index, and absolute neutrophil count recur as accessible markers. Associations include neoadjuvant gemcitabine/S-1 completion, outcomes after pancreatic or esophageal treatment, acute renal allograft outcomes, and delirium after hip fracture. Heterogeneous cohorts and retrospective designs leave thresholds and clinical utility unresolved.
4 papers · 40%
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Inflammation and Nutritional Biomarkers
Inflammatory and nutritional indices are being applied as low-cost markers across neonatal cholestasis, osteosarcoma, oral squamous cell carcinoma, and psychiatric populations. NLR, SIRI, SII, PNI, and GNRI recur alongside infection, immune status, treatment context, and clinicopathological features. The studies mainly establish associations with disease state or prognosis rather than a common clinical intervention. Heterogeneous populations and observational or pilot designs leave cutoffs, causality, and comparative utility unsettled.
4 papers · 40%
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Nutritional Prognosis in GI Surgery
Preoperative nutritional scores are being combined with symptoms and tumour features to stratify survival after curative gastrointestinal surgery. PNI is linked to long-term outcomes after gastrectomy, while a symptom-tumor-nutrition score targets survival after colorectal resection. Cox proportional-hazards analyses support prognostic associations, but external validation and incremental value over standard staging remain open.
2 papers · 20%
Papers
The 10 papers from the last 6 months that study Prognostic Nutritional Index directly, newest first, by theme and by study type. Study types come from PubMed publication types and MeSH headings.
By theme
Immunonutritional Risk Stratification (4)
- Association of Pretreatment Absolute Neutrophil Count and Prognostic Nutritional Index With Completion of Neoadjuvant Gemcitabine Plus S-1 in Resectable Pancreatic Cancer. Anticancer research · 1 Oct 2026 PMID 42823160
- C-Reactive Protein-Albumin-Lymphocyte Index, Prognostic Nutritional Index, and Glasgow Prognostic Score as Predictors of Acute Renal Allograft Rejection: A Comparative Analysis. Transplantation proceedings · 21 Aug 2026 PMID 42629277
- Clinical Value of Pre-treatment Immunonutritional Indices in T4 Esophageal Cancer Treated With Radiotherapy. Anticancer research · 29 Jun 2026 PMID 42373276
- Association between preoperative prognostic nutritional index and postoperative delirium in older adults with hip fractures: a real-world study. Annals of medicine · 22 Jun 2026 PMID 42329416
Inflammation and Nutritional Biomarkers (4)
- SIRI, SII, and PNI in psychiatric patients with positive urinary drug metabolites: association with immune and nutritional biomarkers. BMC psychiatry · 4 Sept 2026 PMID 42693429
- Complete blood count-derived inflammatory biomarkers and neonatal cholestasis in preterm infants: a matched case-control study. European journal of pediatrics · 3 Sept 2026 PMID 42686933
- Pretreatment Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in RADPLAT-treated Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Pilot Study. In vivo (Athens, Greece) · 28 Aug 2026 PMID 42665408
- Potential of Inflammatory and Nutritional Markers and Clinicopathological Factors for Prognostic Prediction in Osteosarcoma. Anticancer research · 28 Apr 2026 PMID 42049341
Nutritional Prognosis in GI Surgery (2)
- Preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index Predicts Long-term Outcomes After Curative Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer. Anticancer research · 1 Oct 2026 PMID 42823166
- A Preoperative Symptom-tumor-nutrition Score Predicting Survival After Laparoscopic Resection for Colorectal Cancer. Anticancer research · 29 Jul 2026 PMID 42527097
By study type
Observational studies and case reports (9)
- Preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index Predicts Long-term Outcomes After Curative Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer. Anticancer research · 1 Oct 2026 PMID 42823166
- Association of Pretreatment Absolute Neutrophil Count and Prognostic Nutritional Index With Completion of Neoadjuvant Gemcitabine Plus S-1 in Resectable Pancreatic Cancer. Anticancer research · 1 Oct 2026 PMID 42823160
- SIRI, SII, and PNI in psychiatric patients with positive urinary drug metabolites: association with immune and nutritional biomarkers. BMC psychiatry · 4 Sept 2026 PMID 42693429
- Complete blood count-derived inflammatory biomarkers and neonatal cholestasis in preterm infants: a matched case-control study. European journal of pediatrics · 3 Sept 2026 PMID 42686933
- C-Reactive Protein-Albumin-Lymphocyte Index, Prognostic Nutritional Index, and Glasgow Prognostic Score as Predictors of Acute Renal Allograft Rejection: A Comparative Analysis. Transplantation proceedings · 21 Aug 2026 PMID 42629277
- A Preoperative Symptom-tumor-nutrition Score Predicting Survival After Laparoscopic Resection for Colorectal Cancer. Anticancer research · 29 Jul 2026 PMID 42527097
- Clinical Value of Pre-treatment Immunonutritional Indices in T4 Esophageal Cancer Treated With Radiotherapy. Anticancer research · 29 Jun 2026 PMID 42373276
- Association between preoperative prognostic nutritional index and postoperative delirium in older adults with hip fractures: a real-world study. Annals of medicine · 22 Jun 2026 PMID 42329416
- Potential of Inflammatory and Nutritional Markers and Clinicopathological Factors for Prognostic Prediction in Osteosarcoma. Anticancer research · 28 Apr 2026 PMID 42049341
Human data, design not indexed (1)
- Pretreatment Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in RADPLAT-treated Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Pilot Study. In vivo (Athens, Greece) · 28 Aug 2026 PMID 42665408
Written from 10 PubMed abstracts, each one listed by PMID above. Published: 2026-10-03. Drafted by language models from published abstracts; not medical advice.