To clarify the effects of preoperative nutritional evaluation on the prognosis of patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

This retrospective cohort study involves 126 consecutive patients who underwent radical surgery as their initial treatment and received treatment for >3 years. The markers considered in this study are GGT (γ-GTP), CAR (C-reactive protein (CRP)-to-Alb Ratio), GLR (GGT-to-Lymphocytes Ratio), GPR (GGT-to-Platelet ratio), GNR (GGT-to-Neutrophil ratio), NLR (Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio), PLR (platelet-to-lymphocytes ratio), OPNI (Onodera`s prognostic nutritional index), PINI (Prognostic Immune and Nutritional Index) and Albumin (Alb). Each marker was calculated from blood test results up to one month before the initial surgery to assess overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).

Univariate analysis of OS identified the depth of invasion (DOI P = 0.004), stage classification (P < 0.001), Body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.007), OPNI (P = 0.005), prognostic inflammatory and nutritional indices (PINI, P = 0.011), and albumin (Alb) (P = 0.006) as significant predictors. Cox regression analysis revealed significant differences in BMI, pathological grade, and OPNI. The OPNI cut-off value was 51.05, indicating its effectiveness in predicting tongue cancer prognosis. With regard to DFS, only BMI showed a significant difference, with no notable difference among other markers. Conclusion: The OPNI may be a useful prognostic factor for tongue cancer.