A Longitudinal Analysis Investigating the Impact of Improvement in Serum Albumin Scores on Survival in Ovarian Cancer

BackgroundMalnutrition is a predictor of mortality in cancer. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of improvement in serum albumin scores on survival in patients with ovarian cancer.Materials and MethodsWe present a case series of 184 patients with ovarian cancer treated at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® between January 2001 and May 2005. Serum albumin scores were measured at baseline and 3 months. Patients were divided into 2 categories: serum albumin scores of 3.6 g/dL and above (well-nourished) and 3.5 g/dL and below (malnourished). Based on the serum albumin scores at baseline and 3 months, patients were classified into 4 groups: (1) well-nourished at baseline and 3 months; (2) malnourished at baseline; well-nourished at 3 months; (3) malnourished at baseline and 3 months; (4) well-nourished at baseline; malnourished at 3 months. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis calculated survival across these 4 strata.ResultsOf 184 patients, 37 were newly diagnosed and 147 had received previous treatment. Twenty-six had stage I disease at diagnosis, 16 stage II, 124 stage III, and 18 stage IV disease. The median age at presentation was 54.4 years (range, 23.1–82.5 years). In this cohort, patients with an improved nutritional status at 3 months had a significantly better survival than those with deteriorated nutritional status at 3 months.ConclusionThese data show that improvement in nutritional status is associated with better survival. Consequently, our findings lend support to the importance of aggressive nutritional intervention in improving patient outcomes in oncology.