{
  "abstract": "Background: The C-PLAN index is a composite prognostic tool incorporating clinical, inflammatory, nutritional, and biochemical parameters. Its prognostic role in metastatic melanoma remains insufficiently investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the C-PLAN index and survival outcomes in patients with metastatic melanoma. Methods: This retrospective two-center study included 130 patients with metastatic melanoma treated at Erciyes University and Erzurum City Hospital between January 2012 and September 2023. The C-PLAN index was calculated using five parameters: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, serum albumin, and derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR). Patients were classified into C-PLAN score groups of 0–1 and ≥2. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Among the 130 patients, 48 (36.9%) had a C-PLAN score of 0–1 and 82 (63.1%) had a score of ≥2. During follow-up, 76 patients experienced a PFS event, and 94 died. Median PFS was longer in the C-PLAN 0–1 group than in the ≥2 group (30.27 vs. 9.17 months; log-rank p < 0.001). Median OS was also longer in the C-PLAN 0–1 group (82.93 vs. 29.70 months; log-rank p < 0.001). In the multivariable Cox regression analysis for PFS, a C-PLAN score of ≥2 was associated with a higher hazard of progression or death (HR, 3.193; 95% CI, 1.774–5.746; p < 0.001). A higher number of metastatic sites, BMI category, mitotic activity, lymphatic invasion, and BRAF status were also independently associated with PFS. In the multivariable Cox regression analysis for OS, a C-PLAN score of ≥2 (HR, 3.227; 95% CI, 1.910–5.455; p < 0.001) and a higher number of metastatic sites (HR, 2.453; 95% CI, 1.538–3.912; p < 0.001) were independently associated with a higher hazard of death. Conclusions: In this retrospective two-center cohort, a C-PLAN score of ≥2 was associated with shorter PFS and OS. These findings should be interpreted as exploratory and support further investigation of C-PLAN as a prognostic index in melanoma. Validation in larger, contemporary, and independent cohorts is required before its clinical utility can be established.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Medical Oncology Department, Kayseri City Hospital, 38080 Kayseri, Türkiye",
    "Medical Oncology Department, Erciyes University Medical School, 38030 Kayseri, Türkiye"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "İrfan Buğday",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6875-4656"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Safiye Selcen Vicdanlı"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mevlüde İnanç"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Metin Özkan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Oktay Bozkurt"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5j2vx1hxpn747.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/jcm15218261",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "5j2vx1hxpn747",
  "issns": [
    "2077-0383"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8261",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2730|Inflammatory Biomarkers in Disease Prognosis"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223788265",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-23",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5j2vx1hxpn747.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:01Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/jcm15218261",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8261"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2730|Inflammatory Biomarkers in Disease Prognosis",
      "subfield": "oncology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Prognostic Role of the C-PLAN Index in Metastatic Melanoma: A Two-Center Retrospective Study",
  "title_text": "Prognostic Role of the C-PLAN Index in Metastatic Melanoma: A Two-Center Retrospective Study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:01Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5j2vx1hxpn747",
  "venue": "Journal of Clinical Medicine",
  "versions": []
}