Prognostic significance of the controlling nutritional status score in patients with biliary tract cancer

Abstract Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated the significance of assessing nutritional status, commonly referred to as Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT), in predicting the prognostic outcomes of diverse malignancies. Nevertheless, its prognostic significance in individuals diagnosed with biliary tract cancer (BTC) remains an area yet to be comprehensively explored. The CONUT score was analyzed in this study to determine its prognostic significance in BTC patients. Methods: To obtain relevant literature concerning the prognostic implications for patients with BTC and the utilization of the CONUT score, an exhaustive literature search was systematically carried out across multiple databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. The search encompassed articles published up to and including April 23, 2023. To amalgamate the data, a comprehensive pooled analysis utilized hazard ratios (HRs) alongside their respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). All statistical computations were performed using STATA 12.0 software. Results: The meta-analysis encompassed nine articles, which collectively involved 1363 patients. The collective findings demonstrated a significant association between a high CONUT score and adverse outcomes in terms of overall survival (OS) (HR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.40-2.69) as well as disease-free survival/recurrence-free survival (DFS/RFS) (HR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.71-2.75). Sensitivity analysis further substantiated the robustness and reliability of the meta-analysis results. Conclusions: In patients diagnosed with BTC, a high CONUT score was found to be strongly associated with an adverse prognosis. Patients with BTC may benefit from CONUT scores as prognostic indicators.