Inflammation and Nutrition-Based Scores Tied to Prognosis of Low-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Low Prognostic Nutritional Index and high systemic oxidative stress score independently associated with poorer prognosis

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, July 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and systemic oxidative stress (SOS) score are independently associated with poorer prognosis of low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), according to a study published online July 4 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

Tuba Ersal, M.D., from Bursa Uludag University in Turkey, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis involving 175 newly diagnosed patients with low-risk MDS to examine the prognostic impact of inflammation, nutritional status, and oxidative stress at diagnosis.

The researchers found independent associations for a low PNI and a high SOS score with poorer prognosis (hazard ratios, 1.598 and 1.003, respectively). For predicting mortality, the optimal PNI cutoff value was 47.47. Overall, 92 and 83 patients had a low and high PNI score, respectively, based on this cutoff. Comparing these groups demonstrated a significant difference in median overall survival, with 45.5 and 75.1 months for the low- and high-PNI groups, respectively. There was no significant association for PNI with progression to acute myeloid leukemia. Several factors were identified as independent predictors of prognosis in a multivariate overall survival analysis, including a high Revised International Prognostic Scoring System score, low PNI, high SOS score, advanced age, male gender, and transformation to acute myeloid leukemia.

“These findings suggest that anti-inflammatory or antioxidant therapies may play a role in slowing disease progression in MDS,” the authors write. “Prospective, multicenter studies are warranted to validate their generalizability and support their integration into routine clinical practice.”

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