Comparison of nutritional risk index and body mass index in predicting survival outcomes in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a retrospective study

INTRODUCTION: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a viable therapeutic option for several serious diseases however it is a high-risk procedure because it involves high-toxicity protocols with many adverse effects. Existing factors, such as the underlying disease and nutritional status, may influence the outcome. The objective of this study was to evaluate the Nutritional Risk Index as a prognostic tool by correlating it with body mass index, nutritional status, and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS: This single center retrospective study was conducted collected sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical data before conditioning and 30 days post-transplantation. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney test and Spearman's correlation. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, with comparisons conducted via the Gehan-Breslow-Wilcoxon test. A Cox Proportional Hazards regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with mortality; variables demonstrating a p-value ≤0.20 in the univariate analysis were included in the multivariate model. For all analyses, statistical significance was defined as a p-value