Objectives: The prognostic significance of a Laboratory Prognostic Index (LPI) was demonstrated recently in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated the predictive effect of LPI in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 68 patients with MPM in a single institution. LPI score was consist of serum levels of white blood cells (WBC?10000/mm3 ), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH?248 U/L), albumin (?3.5 g/dL), calcium (Ca?10.5 mg/dL), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP?120 U/L). Patients were classified into 3 LPI groups as follows: LPI0:normal; LPI1:with one abnormal laboratory finding; and LPI2:with at least 2 abnormal laboratory findings. Results: The study included 53 patients with MPM. Median follow-up period was 11.4 (1-103) months. Median OS of all patients was 21.6 months (95% CI; 15.9–27.4). When patients were classified by LPI; median OS was 36.5 months (95%CI, 13.6-59.3) in patients with LPI0, 23.7 month s(95%CI, 19.8-27.6) with LPI1 and 11.5 months (95%CI, 5.5-17.6) with LPI2 (p=0.001). According to multivariate analysis higher LPI score at the time of diagnosis were independent poor prognostic variables for OS (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, LPI was found to be a significant prognostic factor for OS in patients with MPM. LPI can be used as a non-invasive, easily applicable, practical prognostic factor in mesothelioma patients. We believe that this prognostic score meets the of unmet need on this subject in the literature. Keywords: Laboratory Prognostic Index(LPI), malignant, mesothelioma, survival analysis.
Corresponding Author: Tugba Basoglu