The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index Predicts Tolerability of Lenvatinib in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Background/aim: We aimed to investigate the association between The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and the tolerability of lenvatinib in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Patients and methods: We retrospectively evaluated 61 HCC patients treated with lenvatinib and compared those with low GNRI (≤98, n=26) to those with high GNRI (>98, n=35).

Results: The discontinuation of lenvatinib due to adverse events was more frequent in the low GNRI group (46.2%) than in the high GNRI group (17.1%) (p=0.014). Multivariate analysis revealed that low GNRI (p=0.014), hypothyroidism (model 1 p=0.021, model 2 p=0.013), and advanced age (p=0.026) were independently associated with the discontinuation of lenvatinib. The progression-free survival in the low GNRI group was significantly shorter than that in the high GNRI group (p=0.047).

Conclusion: The GNRI might be independently associated with the tolerability of lenvatinib in patients with HCC.

Keywords: Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index; Hepatocellular carcinoma; lenvatinib; tolerability.