{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T12:29:14Z","timestamp":1787574554534,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787529600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Med. Sci.","Medical Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Sarcopenia, systemic inflammation, and malnutrition are established poor prognostic factors in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This study investigated the utility of a novel preoperative score combining psoas muscle density (PMD)\u2014an imaging-based indicator of muscle quality\u2014and the albumin\u2013bilirubin (ALBI) grade\u2014a blood-based biomarker of liver reserve and systemic nutritional status\u2014for predicting disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients undergoing curative surgery for RCC. Methods: This retrospective observational study included 274 patients with non-metastatic RCC treated with radical or partial nephrectomy. Preoperative computed tomography was utilized to measure PMD, defining \u201clow PMD\u201d as a value below the sex-specific median (males: 47.75 Hounsfield Units [HU]; females: 46.25 HU). \u201cWorsened ALBI\u201d was defined as an ALBI grade \u2265 2. Patients were stratified into three risk categories: Score 0 (both normal, n = 122), Score 1 (either abnormal, n = 114), and Score 2 (both abnormal, n = 38). Results: Kaplan\u2013Meier analysis revealed a highly significant, stepwise decline in both DFS and OS as the risk score increased (log\u2013rank p &lt; 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively). Multivariate Cox regression identified the combined risk score as a robust, independent prognostic factor for DFS (Score 1: HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.11\u20133.37, p = 0.020; Score 2: HR 3.58, 95% CI 1.82\u20137.02, p &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, after adjusting for age and comorbidities, the score remained an independent predictor of poor OS (Score 1: HR 2.35, 95% CI 1.08\u20135.13, p = 0.032; Score 2: HR 3.01, 95% CI 1.16\u20137.82, p = 0.024). The combined model synergistically enhanced risk stratification accuracy compared to evaluating either factor independently. Conclusions: The concurrent presence of preoperative low PMD and a worsened ALBI grade is a powerful, independent predictor of poor prognosis in localized RCC. Derived solely from routine preoperative imaging and laboratory tests, this straightforward scoring system effectively captures the structural and immunometabolic dimensions of cancer cachexia and host vulnerability. This tool can significantly aid in personalizing postoperative surveillance strategies and identifying high-risk patients who may warrant closer postoperative surveillance or who might be considered as high-risk candidates for adjuvant therapy discussions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medsci14050509","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T11:47:19Z","timestamp":1787572039000},"page":"509","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prognostic Value of a Novel Risk Score Combining Psoas Muscle Density and ALBI Grade in Localized Renal Cell Carcinoma"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2554-7048","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tomoyuki","family":"Makino","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8480-9100","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kouji","family":"Izumi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2503-8908","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ryunosuke","family":"Nakagawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Taiki","family":"Kamijima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4136-8998","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Suguru","family":"Kadomoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Renato","family":"Naito","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3599-2217","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hiroaki","family":"Iwamoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3188-8834","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hiroshi","family":"Yaegashi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2118-9135","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kazuyoshi","family":"Shigehara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9792-2068","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Takahiro","family":"Nohara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5643-2182","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Atsushi","family":"Mizokami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-Machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Makino, T., Kadomoto, S., Izumi, K., and Mizokami, A. 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