Effect of hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte count, and platelet (halp) score on survival of patients with metastatic thyroid cancer treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Abstract

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are crucial for improving the survival rates of individuals with metastatic thyroid cancer. Moreover, systemic inflammation and malnutrition are known to negatively affect metastatic thyroid cancer prognosis. Evaluating nutritional status at the start of treatment can improve survival rates. Purpose: This study investigated the correlation between the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte count, and platelet (HALP) score and prognosis of patients with metastatic thyroid cancer undergoing first-line TKI therapy. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 44 patients between January 2010 and June 2024. The primary outcomes evaluated in the study were time to treatment failure (TTF) and overall survival (OS); HALP scores were categorized as low (<= 29.21) and high (>29.21) based on receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results: The 1-year survival rate was significantly lower in the low HALP score group compared to the high HALP score group (50% vs. 96.3%). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that low HALP scores, elevated leukocyte counts, and lymphopenia were independent predictors of shorter TTF (HR = 0.272, p = 0.011) and OS (HR = 0.208, p = 0.028). Conclusions: The results obtained in the present study demonstrate that the HALP score has prognostic significance for patients with metastatic thyroid cancer who are undergoing first-line TKI treatment. In metastatic thyroid cancer patients, interventions focused on improving nutritional status at the start, during initiation, and throughout the TKI treatment may enhance treatment effectiveness. However, further prospective studies involving larger patient cohorts are necessary to validate our results.