Beyond individual markers: Prognostic value of the combined CEA/PNI score in metastatic colorectal cancer as a predictor of survival

PLoS ONE 2026 Open access

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Authors: Edith A. Fernández Figueroa, Juan C. Falcón-Martínez, José Antonio García-Gordillo, Uriel Coquis-Navarrete, Melissa Valdés-Reyes, Haydee Williams-Sanchez, Abelardo Meneses-García, Consuelo Díaz-Romero, Marytere Herrera-Martínez, Germán Calderillo-Ruiz, Juan José Sánchez-Hernández, Erika Ruiz-Garcia
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0346932
Cited by: 1
References: 26

Abstract

Malnutrition and systemic inflammation significantly worsen the prognosis of oncology patients, contributing to 10-20% of cancer-related deaths. While the Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) reflects tumor burden, the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) captures nutritional and immune status. This study aimed to evaluate whether the combination of CEA and PNI provides superior prognostic stratification compared to either biomarker alone in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 512 mCRC patients at baseline and at the first response assessment (after two months of systemic treatment). Patients were stratified into four groups based on CEA (

Fields of Study & Subjects

Inflammatory Biomarkers in Disease Prognosis Nutrition and Health in Aging Ferroptosis and cancer prognosis

Publication details

Journal / source
PLoS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Volume
21
Issue
4
Pages
e0346932–e0346932
Publication date
20 April 2026
Language
EN