A recent study in which the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) has participated has analyzed the capacity of different nutritional parameters to predict the survival of patients with lung diseases, such as lung cancer or COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
The study analyzed data from 125 patients, taken prior to an operation, and followed for 10 years to assess their survival.
Thus, they have been able to establish a relationship between low values of different nutritional parameters analyzed, such as BMI (Body Mass Index), or levels of albumin and total protein in the blood, and a lower survival of the patients.
“The BMI together with the albumin and blood protein levels measured prior to the operation predicted survival, above all in individuals with COPD”
Esther Barreiro, IMIM researcher and responsible author of the project
These results reinforce the value of a thorough preoperative nutritional evaluation, which could serve as a prediction of survival in patients with lung cancer, and especially in those with COPD.
J Tang, V Curull, D Ramis-Cabrer, X Duran, A Rodríguez-Fuster, R Aguiló Espases, E Barreiro. Preoperative Body Weight and Albumin Predict Survival in Patients With Resectable Lung Neoplasms: Role of COPD. Arch Bronconeumol 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.arbres.2020.07.021
