Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41257342›Full record

ArticleHead & neck2026

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index Predicts Treatment Intolerance and Survival in Head and Neck Cancer.

Raisa Chowdhury, Alex M Mlynarek, Keith Richardson, Nader Sadeghi, Michael P Hier, Sabrina Wurzba, Khashayar Esfahani, Nathaniel Bouganim, Khalil Sultanem, George Shenouda and 2 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Head & neck, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Raisa ChowdhuryFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0009-0000-5433-5808
Alex M MlynarekDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Keith RichardsonDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Nader SadeghiDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3218-2668
Michael P HierDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Sabrina WurzbaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Khashayar EsfahaniDepartment of Medical Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Nathaniel BouganimDepartment of Medical Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Khalil SultanemDepartment of Radiation Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
George ShenoudaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Christina TsienDepartment of Radiation Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Marco A MascarellaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-8880-805X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMalnutrition is associated with worse outcomes in head and neck cancer (HNC). The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) may predict postoperative morbidity and survival, but its role remains underexplored.

methodsAn ambispective study of patients undergoing HNC surgery at two academic centers (2015-2024) was performed. Preoperative GNRI was categorized into moderate-to-high risk (< 92), low risk (92-98), and no risk (> 98). Outcomes included 90-day mortality, treatment intolerance, overall survival, and disease-free survival. Analyses were performed using multivariable logistic and Cox regression adjusted for age, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), tumor stage, primary tumor site, and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) status. Patients with prior head and neck cancer or prior radiation were excluded.

resultsAmong 312 treatment-naïve surgical patients, 13% were moderate-to-high GNRI risk and 8% low risk. Moderate-to-high GNRI risk had higher major adverse events (57% vs. 36% in no-risk), greater treatment intolerance (61% vs. 41%), and a trend toward higher 90-day mortality (11% vs. 4%). On multivariable models adjusted for tumor site and pathologic stage, moderate-to-high GNRI risk was associated with higher odds of 90-day mortality (OR 2.99, 95% CI 1.01-9.31; p = 0.048) and treatment intolerance (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.21-4.56; p = 0.012). Cox regression showed shorter overall (HR 2.28, 95% CI 1.44-3.62; p < 0.001) and disease-free survival (HR 1.87, 95% CI 1.20-2.91; p = 0.005).

conclusionsThe GNRI predicted treatment intolerance and poorer survival in patients with operable HNC.

Indexed as

Geriatric AssessmentHead and Neck NeoplasmsMalnutritionNutrition AssessmentAgedAged, 80 and overDisease-Free SurvivalFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNutritional StatusPostoperative ComplicationsRetrospective StudiesRisk Assessmentgeriatric nutritional risk indexhead and neck cancernutritional risk assessmentpostoperative complicationssurgical outcomes

Identifiers

PMID41257342
PMCPMC12972650

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.