The Value of the Naples Prognostic Score at Diagnosis as a Predictor of Cervical Cancer Progression

Background and Objectives: The Naples prognostic score (NPS), which incorporates inflammatory and nutritional indicators, is increasingly used as a prognostic score for various malignancies. Nonetheless, few studies have specifically evaluated the NPS as a prognostic factor for cervical cancer. This study aimed to assess the value of NPS at diagnosis as a predictor of cancer progression. Materials and Methods: This study included patients diagnosed with cervical cancer at Korea University Anam Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. Patients with incomplete data or those who were lost to follow-up were excluded. The NPS was calculated based on laboratory results at the time of diagnosis, categorizing patients into the low-NPS group (NPS 0-1) and high-NPS group (NPS ≥ 2). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify independent prognostic factors. Results: Out of 178 patients, 98 and 80 were categorized into the low-NPS and high-NPS groups, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the high-NPS group had significantly lower disease-free survival (DFS) (p < 0.001) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.02) rates than the low-NPS group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified the NPS as an independent prognostic factor for DFS (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.98; p = 0.017), but not for OS. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the NPS measured at diagnosis may serve as a useful independent prognostic factor for cancer progression in patients with cervical cancer.