Abnormal nutritional status determined by the controlling nutritional status score is associated with lymph node metastasis in female patients with breast cancer, but Naples prognostic score not

Background Nutritional status and inflammatory status play crucial role in the occurrence and development of cancer. This study aims to explore the relationship between abnormal nutritional status determined by the Control Nutritional Status (CONUT) score, Naples Prognostic Score (NPS) and the lymph node metastasis (LNM) in female patients with breast cancer. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data (demographic information, medical history, and pathological features) of 627 female patients with breast cancer. The patients were divided into the LNM group and the non-LNM group based on the status of LNM. The CONUT score and NPS score of all patients were calculated, and the relationship between LNM and the CONUT score and NPS score was analyzed. Results There were 280 (44.7%) patients with LNM and 347 (55.3%) without LNM. The proportions of NPS >1 (56.4% vs. 27.7%, p < 0.001) and CONUT abnormal (34.6% vs. 10.7%, p < 0.001) in patients with LNM were higher than those in patients without LNM. There was no statistically significant difference in age ( p = 0.678), BMI ( p = 0.399), hypertension ( p = 0.137), family history of cancer ( p = 0.435), and laterality of cancer ( p = 0.872) between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that abnormal nutritional status determined by the CONUT score (odds ratio (OR): 2.147, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.304-3.534, p = 0.003) is independently associated with LNM, whereas NPS is not associated with LNM ( p = 0.084). Conclusions Abnormal nutritional status determined by the CONUT score is associated with LNM in female patients with breast cancer, but NPS not.