Prognostic importance of the inflammation-based Glasgow prognostic score in patients with gastric cancer

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio prechemotherapy and postchemotherapy as a prognostic marker in metastatic gastric cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Markers of inflammation have been associated with outcomes in various cancers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether systemic inf lammatory markers and their f luctuations can predict survival and chemotherapy response in patients with metastatic gastric cancer (mGC).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 502 patients who received first-line palliative chemotherapy for mGC between 2007 and 2013. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) were assessed before and after chemotherapy to evaluate their association with survival. The NLR values were categorized into two groups based on a cut-off value of 3; mGPS values were classified as high versus low.

RESULTS

High prechemotherapy NLR was significantly associated with poor overall survival on univariate analysis (p = 0.002). On multivariate analysis, high prechemotherapy NLR (hazard ratio, 1.43; p < 0.001) was an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival. However, the prechemotherapy mGPS was not significantly associated with survival. Continuously high NLR or a shift to high NLR postchemotherapy was associated with poor chemotherapy response as well as survival, while NLR reduction was associated with a good response (linear by linear association, p < 0.001) and a favorable prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Prechemotherapy NLR can be used as a prognostic factor in mGC, while the postchemotherapy NLR value may predict the chemotherapeutic response and prognosis. In contrast, mGPS has limited prognostic utility in mGC.

TNM-PNI: a novel prognostic scoring system for patients with gastric cancer and curative D2 resection

Purpose

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies and has a high mortality rate. In recent years, several nutritional or inflammatory biomarkers have been shown to effectively predict the prognosis of tumors. In this study, we intended to establish a prognostic scoring system for GC patients.

Patients and methods

Our study included a total of 501 GC patients who were diagnosed with GC stage I–III and received curative gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy between January 2011 and December 2012. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier and log-rank tests. Two Cox multivariate models, one for continuous and one for categorical variables, were established to identify independent prognostic factors. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 20.0.

Results

Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and adjuvant therapy were independent prognostic factors for GC patients. We established a new composite variable, TNM-PNI, which was confirmed to be a major prognostic factor for curative D2 resection, independent of whether adjuvant therapy was administered. GC patients with higher TNM-PNI scores always had worse cancer outcomes. In addition, we found that adjuvant therapy might be beneficial for the survival of GC patients with TNM-PNI =4 or 5.

Conclusion

Preoperative PNI plays a distinctly subsidiary role to the TNM stage when predicting patient prognosis. TNM-PNI is a novel and an effective prognostic index for GC patients with curative D2 resection and a good supplement for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines.

Comparison of Prognostic Abilities Among Preoperative Laboratory Data Indices in Patients with Resectable Gastric and Esophagogastric Junction Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) are simple indices determined employing laboratory data alone and have been used to predict the clinical outcomes of patients with esophagogastric tumors. However, prior results were generally based on analyzing dichotomous data with arbitrary cutoff values. This retrospective study aims to assess prognostic utilities of preoperative NLR, PLR, LMR, mGPS and PNI, as continuous variables, in gastric cancer (GC) and adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG).

METHODS

Preoperative data from 1363 patients who underwent surgery for GC/AEG were retrospectively examined. Survival time was evaluated applying the Cox proportional hazard model to both univariate and multivariate estimates of clinicopathological factors and the aforementioned indices as continuous variables.

RESULTS

Preoperatively, each index value was significantly associated with T and N stages, as well as lymphatic involvement and venous involvement. On univariate Cox regression analysis, preoperative NLR, PLR, LMR and PNI were significantly associated with overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). Preoperative mGPS was associated only with RFS. On multivariate Cox regression analysis, preoperative PNI was independently associated with OS and RFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.62 per 10-unit increase, 95% CI 0.47-0.82, p < 0.001; HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.46-0.78, p < 0.001, respectively), as age, gender, tumor location, T and N stages and venous involvement, while other indices lost independence on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative PNI, a score related to nutritional status, is of importance for predicting long-term outcomes in patients with GC and AEG.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio after four weeks of nivolumab administration as a predictive marker in patients with pretreated non-small-cell lung cancer

Background

Although phase III trials have shown improved overall and progression‐free survival (PFS) using nivolumab compared to docetaxel in patients with non‐small‐cell lung cancer, the progressive disease ratio of nivolumab is higher than docetaxel. Furthermore, nonconventional response patterns of nivolumab make it difficult to determine the time point for nivolumab discontinuation. Therefore, a method to detect non‐responders to nivolumab at an early time point is crucial. This retrospective study was conducted to identify immunological and nutritional markers, including neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratios (NLR), which would predict the efficacy of nivolumab treatment. Because the expression of these markers fluctuates dramatically during treatment, repeat evaluation was performed.

Methods

We retrospectively investigated 30 patients with non‐small‐cell lung cancer who were treated with nivolumab. The stratified data of each marker obtained during four weeks after nivolumab treatment were evaluated by Cox proportional hazards regression to verify the differences in PFS.

Results

One and four patients experienced progressive disease within two and four weeks, respectively. Therefore, 29 and 26 patients were analyzed two and four weeks after nivolumab administration, respectively. The results showed that the NLR after four weeks could predict PFS. The median PFS in 21 patients with NLR < 5 after four weeks of nivolumab administration was 95 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 50–NA), while the mPFS in five patients with NLR ≥ 5 was 10 days (95% CI 6–NA). NLR ≥ 5 showed a hazard ratio of 5.995 (95% CI 1.225–29.35).

Conclusion

Clarifying NLR four weeks after nivolumab administration may be useful to predict outcomes in nivolumab‐treated patients.

Pretreatment NRS-2002 scores combined with hematologic inflammation markers are independent prognostic factors in patients with resectable thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic values of Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002) and hematologic inflammation markers in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) receiving curative esophagectomy.

Materials and methods

A total of 277 patients with ESCC treated with standard curative esophagectomy were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were grouped for further analysis according to the systemic inflammation score (SIS), the combination of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (CNP) score and NRS-2002 score. The Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were adopted to calculate and compare the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates with these parameters. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to carry out univariate and multivariate analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to verify the accuracy of SIS, CNP and NRS-2002 for survival prediction.

Results

In univariate analysis, the following factors were significantly associated with poor PFS and OS: sex, T stage, N stage, TNM stage, SIS, CNP and NRS-2002 (all P<0.05). Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that CNP (hazard ratio [HR]=1.602; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.341–1.913; P=0.000), NRS-2002 (HR=2.062; 95% CI 1.523–2.792; P=0.000) and TNM stage (HR=1.194; 95% CI 1.058–1.565; P=0.048) were independent prognostic factors for PFS. Correspondingly, CNP (HR=1.707; 95% CI 1.405–2.074; P=0.000), NRS-2002 (HR=2.716; 95% CI 1.972–3.740; P=0.000) and TNM stage (HR=1.363; 95% CI 1.086–1.691; P=0.036) were also independent prognostic factors for OS. Finally, the results of ROC curves indicated that CNP and NRS-2002 were superior to SIS as a predictive factor for PFS or OS in patients with ESCC receiving surgery.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that CNP combined with NRS-2002 is promising as a predictive marker for predicting clinical outcomes in patients with ESCC receiving surgery.

The association of the lymph node ratio and serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 with early recurrence after curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer

PURPOSE

This study investigated the predictors associated with early recurrence (i.e. within 12 months) after curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC).

METHODS

We evaluated the clinicopathological factors in 429 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for GC without preoperative chemotherapy and analyzed these factors' associations with early recurrence.

RESULTS

Of 429 patients, 57 experienced recurrences, which were associated with gender, diameter, depth of invasion, lymph node (LN) metastasis, the LN ratio (LNr; LNs with metastasis/dissected LNs), lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) levels, C-reactive protein levels and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio. Twenty-one patients (36.8%) recurred within 12 months. Early recurrence was associated with a high LNr (P = 0.0020) and high CA19-9 levels (P = 0.0415). The other factors were not significantly associated with early recurrence. The 12-month recurrence rate was 33.9% in patients with a high LNr and 1.9% in those with a low LNr and 20.3% in patients with high CA19-9 levels and 3.5% in those with low CA19-9 levels. The 12-month recurrence rate was 62.5% in patients with a high LNr and high CA19-9 levels, 18.4% in those with a high LNr or high-CA19-9 levels, and 1.4% in those with a low LNr and low CA19-9 levels.

CONCLUSION

LNr ≥ 0.15 and CA19-9 ≥ 37 U/ml were effective surrogate markers for predicting early recurrence.

Postoperative Prolonged Inflammatory Response as a Poor Prognostic Factor After Curative Resection for Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND

Postoperative inflammatory complications are associated with poorer prognosis in gastrointestinal malignancies. The aims of this study were to clarify the impact of postoperative inflammation itself on overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) in advanced gastric cancer patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 490 patients who underwent curative resection for pStage II and III gastric cancer from 2005 to 2008. We evaluated postoperative inflammation based on duration of hyperthermia (body temperature ≥38 °C) and leukocytosis (≥12,000/µL^-1). OS and RFS were compared between a prolonged inflammation group and non-prolonged inflammation group. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model was performed to identify independent prognostic factors.

RESULTS

The prolonged inflammation group comprised 57 (11.7%) patients who had hyperthermia for 4 days or longer and 42 (8.6%) patients who had leukocytosis for 7 days or longer. OS and RFS were significantly worse in the prolonged hyperthermia group (OS: hazard ratio (HR) 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-2.73, P = 0.004; RFS: HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.08-2.45, P = 0.015). The prolonged leukocytosis group also showed significantly worse OS (HR 1.92, 95% CI 1.19-2.96, P = 0.004) and RFS (HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.19-2.88, P = 0.004). Multivariate analysis identified prolonged hyperthermia as an independent factor for predicting poor prognosis (OS: HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.13-2.68, P = 0.013; RFS: HR 1.60; 95% CI 1.03-2.39, P = 0.038).

CONCLUSIONS

Prolonged hyperthermia and leukocytosis after curative gastrectomy were associated with poorer OS and RFS in advanced gastric cancer patients.

The plasma levels of 12 cytokines and growth factors in patients with gastric cancer

To assess the association of plasma cytokines and growth factor levels with clinical characteristics and inflammatory indices in patients with gastric cancer.Plasma samples derived from 99 gastric cancer patients were used for analysis. Levels of interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor growth factor (TGF)-β1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured by Luminex suspension array technology. The association between cytokine/growth factor levels and demographic/clinical characteristics was assessed. Correlation between cytokines and growth factor levels was assessed by Pearson's correlation analysis.Male patients had significant higher levels of plasma TNF-α, IL-12p70, IL-4, IL-10, and VEGF as compared with those in women (P < .05). Plasma levels of TNF-α in older patients with gastric cancer (≥60 years) were higher than those in young patients (P < .05). Elevated plasma levels of IL-8 and IL-10 were identified as risk factors for increased tumor size (diameter ≥5 cm). Higher plasma levels of TGF-β1 were associated with increased risk of vascular or nerve invasion and advanced tumor stage. The levels of systemic inflammatory markers, including white blood cell counts, neutrophil/lymphocyte proportion, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), C-reactive protein and modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) were closely associated with a series of plasma cytokines. A prominent correlation was observed between the plasma IL-12p70 and IFN-γ levels (r = 0.729, P < .01).Our findings suggest that plasma cytokines and growth factor levels may help predict the development and progression of gastric cancer. Our findings need to be validated by larger studies.

C-reactive protein is an independent prognostic marker in patients with tongue carcinoma - A retrospective study

OBJECTIVES

Reliable prognostic markers are lacking for tongue carcinoma. C-reactive protein (CRP) and a ratio from neutrophils/lymphocytes (NLR) are biomarkers, associated with prognosis in solid cancers. Aim of this work was to investigate the role of CRP and NLR in prognosis of patients with tongue carcinoma.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

We retrospectively analysed data of patients treated for tongue carcinoma at our institution. Levels of CRP, Neutrophils and Lymphocytes were measured pretherapeutic.

PARTICIPANTS

197 patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue between 2002 and 2015.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Overall survival, disease-free survival.

RESULTS

Elevated CRP was significantly associated with shorter overall survival in our cohort in uni- and multivariate analysis. NLR was not associated with prognosis.

CONCLUSION

In the present study we could confirm the role of CRP as an independent prognostic marker in patients with tongue carcinoma. Incorporating this marker in prognostication could represent a valuable and moreover inexpensive tool for improved decisions making concerning therapy in the future.

The Glasgow Prognostic Score at the Time of Palliative Esophageal Stent Insertion is a Predictive Factor of 30-Day Mortality and Overall Survival

BACKGROUND

Optimizing the timing of esophageal stent insertion is a challenge, partly due to difficulty predicting survival in advanced malignancy. The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is a validated tool for predicting survival in a number of cancers.

GOALS

To assess the utility of the GPS in predicting 30-day mortality and overall survival postesophageal stent insertion.

STUDY

Patients at a tertiary referral center who had received an esophageal stent for palliation of dysphagia were included if they had a measurement of albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the week preceding the procedure (n=209). Patients with both an elevated CRP (>10 mg/L) and hypoalbuminemia (<35 g/L) were given a GPS score of 2 (GPS2). Patients with only one of these abnormalities were assigned as GPS1 and those with normal CRP and albumin were assigned as GPS0. Clinical and pathologic parameters were also collected to assess for potential confounding factors in the survival analysis.

RESULTS

Increasing GPS was associated with 30-day mortality; for patients with GPS0, 30-day mortality was 5% (2/43), for GPS1 it was 23% (26/114), and for GPS2 it was 33% (17/52). The adjusted hazard ratio for overall poststent mortality was 1.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.4; P=0.02) for GPS1 and 2.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.5-3.8; P<0.001) for GPS2 patients compared with GPS0.

CONCLUSIONS

GPS is an independent prognostic factor of 30-day mortality and overall survival after esophageal stent insertion. It is a potential adjunct to clinical assessment in identifying those patients at high-risk of short-term mortality poststent.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) predicts short-term and long-term outcomes in gastric cancer patients

BACKGROUND

The preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a well-known prognostic marker for gastric cancer patients. However, the utility of the NLR in predicting short-term outcomes in gastric cancer patients remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether the preoperative NLR is a predictor of short-term outcomes in gastric cancer patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated 154 consecutive gastric cancer patients. We compared the perioperative outcomes and median survival times (MSTs). In particular, for stage II/III (UICC, 7th edition) gastric cancer patients, we compared median disease-free survival time (MDFST) between the low- and high-NLR groups.

RESULTS

Between the low-NLR group (n = 110) and the high-NLR group (n = 44), significant differences were observed in perioperative outcomes, including postoperative complications (3 (2.7%) vs. 5 (11.3%); p = 0.015), intraoperative blood loss (158 ± 168 g vs. 232 ± 433 g; p = 0.022), and intraoperative blood transfusions (0 vs. 3 (6.8%); p = 0.042). MSTs and MDFSTs were also significantly different (812 vs. 594 days, p = 0.04; and 848 vs. 475 days, p = 0.03, respectively). Multivariate analysis identified the NLR (hazard ratio [HR], 2.015; p = 0.004), Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) (HR, 1.533; p = 0.012), and presence of stage III/IV disease (HR, 5.488; p < 0.001), preoperative symptoms (HR, 3.412; p = 0.008), or postoperative complications (HR, 2.698; p < 0.001) as independent prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest that the preoperative NLR is an additional useful predictor of both long-term and short-term outcomes in gastric cancer patients.

Nomogram based on systemic inflammatory response markers predicting the survival of patients with resectable gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy

This study aimed to construct a nomogram to predict survival of patients with resectable gastric cancer (RGC) based on both clinicopathology characteristics and systemic inflammatory response markers (SIRMs). Of 3,452 RGC patients after D2 gastrectomy at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 1058 patients who met the inclusion criterion were analyzed. The patients operated on from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2009 were assigned to the training set (817 patients) to establish a nomogram, and the rest (241 patients) were selected as validation set. Based on the training set, seven independent risk factors were selected in the nomogram. The calibration curves for probability of 1-year, 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) showed satisfactory accordance between nomogram prediction and actual observation. When the metastatic lymph node stage (mLNS) is replaced by metastasis lymph node ratio (mLNR) in validation set, the C-index in predicting OS rise from 0.77 to 0.79, higher than that of 7th American Joint Committee on Cancer 7th (AJCC) staging system (0.70; p<0.001). In conclusions, the proposed nomogram which including mLNR and routine detected SIRMs resulted in optimal survival prediction for RGC patients after D2 gastrectomy.

Is the Glasgow Prognostic Score Applicable to Both Early- and Advanced-Stage Gastric Cancers?

Background

The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) has been reported as a sensitive prognostic marker for gastric cancer. This study aimed to investigate whether the GPS is equally applicable to patients with early-stage and advanced-stage gastric cancers.

Methods

Patients (n = 544) who underwent elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer between 2007 and 2015 were retrospectively studied. GPSs of 2, 1, and 0 were allocated to patients with both an elevated C-reactive protein level (> 1.0 mg/dL) and hypoalbuminemia (< 3.5 mg/dL), patients with only one of these abnormalities, and patients with neither abnormality, respectively. The prognostic factors relevant to patients with early-stage (pStage I, n = 304) and advanced-stage (pStage II, III, and IV, n = 240) gastric cancer were analyzed through univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

In the early-stage group, only the serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 level (P = 0.037) was a significant prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis; the GPS was not significant (P = 0.095). In the advanced-stage group, an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of 3 or 4 (P = 0.032), elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (P = 0.043) and CA19-9 (P = 0.045) levels, a GPS 1 - 2 (P = 0.017), and type 4 tumor (P = 0.020) correlated significantly with worse overall survival.

Conclusions

GPS is a simple and useful prognostic score for patients with advanced-stage, but is not applicable to early-stage patients.

Prognostic Significance of Serum Inflammatory Markers in Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to assess the relative prognostic value of biomarkers to measure the systemic inflammatory response (SIR) and improve prognostic modeling in a cohort of patients undergoing potentially curative surgery for gastric adenocarcinoma. The hypothesis was that a single SIR biomarker would be associated with the most prognostic value.

METHODS

Consecutive 331 patients undergoing surgery for gastric cancer between 2004 and 2016 within a regional UK cancer network were identified. Serum measurements of hemoglobin, C-reactive protein, albumin, modified Glasgow Prognostic Score, and differential white cell counts were obtained before surgery, and correlated with histopathological factors (pTNM stage, differentiation, and vascular invasion) and survival. Primary outcome measures were disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Consecutive 331 patients were identified and 291 underwent potentially curative gastrectomy for adenocarcinoma. On univariable DFS analysis, female gender (p = 0.027), proximal location (p = 0.018), pT stage (p < 0.001), pN stage (p < 0.001), pTNM stage (p < 0.001), vascular invasion (p < 0.001), poor differentiation (p = 0.001), lymph node ratio (p < 0.001), R1 status (p < 0.001), platelet count (p = 0.038), and mGPS (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with poor survival. The mGPS was associated with advanced pT stage (p = 0.001), pTNM stage (p = 0.013), and poor differentiation (p = 0.030). On multivariable DFS analysis, mGPS [hazard ratio (HR) 2.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.35-4.65, p = 0.011] was the only inflammatory marker to retain independent significance. Multivariable OS analysis revealed similar findings; mGPS (HR 2.75, (95% CI 1.65-4.59), p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

mGPS is an important and only SIR-related prognostic biomarker independently associated with both DFS and OS in gastric cancer.

The role of the systemic inflammatory response in predicting outcomes in patients with operable cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Cancer remains a leading causes of death worldwide and an elevated systemic inflammatory response (SIR) is associated with reduced survival in patients with operable cancer. This review aims to examine the evidence for the role of systemic inflammation based prognostic scores in patients with operable cancers. A wide-ranging literature review using targeted medical subject headings for human studies in English was carried out in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CDSR databases until the end of 2016. The SIR has independent prognostic value, across tumour types and geographical locations. In particular neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (n = 158), platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (n = 68), lymphocyte monocyte ratio (LMR) (n = 21) and Glasgow Prognostic Score/ modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS/mGPS) (n = 60) were consistently validated. On meta-analysis there was a significant relationship between elevated NLR and overall survival (OS) (p < 0.00001)/ cancer specific survival (CSS) (p < 0.00001), between elevated LMR and OS (p < 0.00001)/CSS (p < 0.00001), and elevated PLR and OS (p < 0.00001)/CSS (p = 0.005). There was also a significant relationship between elevated GPS/mGPS and OS (p < 0.00001)/CSS (p < 0.00001). These results consolidate the prognostic value of the NLR, PLR, LMR and GPS/mGPS in patients with resectable cancers. This is particularly true for the NLR/GPS/mGPS which should form part of the routine preoperative and postoperative workup.

Angiogenic, inflammatory and immunologic markers in predicting response to sunitinib in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

The objective of this prospective study was to identify baseline angiogenic and inflammatory markers in serum as well as the baseline levels of immune cells in whole blood to predict progression‐free survival in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with sunitinib. Blood samples were collected at baseline in all 90 patients to analyze serum angiogenic and inflammatory markers together with peripheral blood immunological marker. The association between each marker and sunitinib efficacy was analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional model analyses were used to assess the correlation between those markers with survival. Baseline levels of interleukin‐6, interleukin‐8, high sensitivity C‐reactive protein and myeloid‐derived suppressor cells were significantly higher in patients who progressed when compared with those with clinical benefit. Analysis by the Cox regression model showed that baseline interleukin‐8, high sensitivity C‐reactive protein and percentage of T helper type 1 cells were significantly associated with progression‐free survival in univariate analysis. Furthermore, in multivariate analysis, those three markers were independent indices to predict progression‐free survival. In conclusion, angiogenic (interleukin‐8), inflammatory (interleukin‐6, high sensitivity C‐reactive) and immunologic (myeloid‐derived suppressor cells, percentage of T helper type 1 cells) markers at baseline would predict the response to sunitinib therapy and/or disease progression in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score at Recurrence Predicts Poor Survival in Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Patients

Background

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) at the time of recurrence on post-recurrence survival (PRS) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients after surgical resection.

Material/Methods

The clinicopathologic characteristics and outcome data of 266 patients with recurrent NSCLC were collected and reviewed retrospectively. The prognostic impact of mGPS at recurrence in patients with recurrent NSCLC was investigated in univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

A total of 266 patients were analyzed. The mGPS at the time of recurrence of 0, 1, and 2 was assigned to 60.9%, 33.1%, and 6.0% of total patients, respectively. In univariate analyses, the median post-recurrence survival times for those with mGPS 0, 1, and 2 were 19, 14, and 4 months, respectively (log-rank test; P=0.005). No statistically significant difference in post-recurrence survival was observed among the patients with different mGPS before surgery (log-rank test; P=0.064). Age at surgery, histological type, C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, and mGPS at recurrence significantly predicted PRS. After adjusting for confounding variables in the model, age (hazard ratio 1.59, P=0.003) as well as disease-free interval (DFI) (hazard ratio 1.40, P=0.023), and mGPS at recurrence (hazard ratio 1.47, P=0.002) remained independent predictors of PRS.

Conclusions

mGPS at the time of recurrence might be an independent adverse prognostic factor in recurrent NSCLC.

Prognostic role of Glasgow prognostic score in patients with colorectal cancer: evidence from population studies

Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) has been reported to be an indicator of prognosis for various cancers. However, the relationship between GPS and colorectal cancers (CRC) remains unclear. A comprehensive search of Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Science, ChinaInfo and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure was performed to identify eligible studies, from which the risk of overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were extracted. A random-effect model was adopted to combine hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). 25 articles with a total of 5660 participants were included. The pooled results indicated that elevated GPS was associated with poor OS (HR = 2.83, 95%CI: 2.00–4.00, P < 0.01) and CSS (HR = 1.94, 95%CI: 1.51–2.49, P < 0.01). This correlation was confirmed both in primary operable and advanced inoperable patients. Increased GPS was also closely related to advanced tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (odds ratio [OR] = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.010–2.065, P < 0.05) and elevated level of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (OR = 2.252, 95% CI: 1.508–3.362, P < 0.01). Subgroup analysis revealed a significant association between high GPS and poor survival outcome according to the factors of sample size, study of region and cut-off value of GPS level. These findings suggest that GPS may serve as a reliable predictive index for patients with CRC.

Role of Prealbumin as a Powerful and Simple Index for Predicting Postoperative Complications After Gastric Cancer Surgery

BACKGROUND

Preoperative factors, including nutritional status, may have strong correlations with postoperative morbidities. The current study evaluated preoperative prealbumin concentrations as a predictor of postoperative complications after gastric surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective study of 1798 patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma was performed. Information was collected on basic patient characteristics, preoperative laboratory findings, and 30 day postoperative complications. The patients were divided into three groups based on prealbumin concentrations (≥22 mg/dL, <22 to ≥15 mg/dL, and <15 mg/dL) for analysis.

RESULTS

The overall complication rate was 21.7 %, and the infection rate was 16 %. Subgroup analysis based on prealbumin concentrations showed that complication rates were markedly elevated with decreasing concentrations of prealbumin. Multivariate analysis using a logistic regression model showed that both overall and infectious complications were strongly associated with male gender, elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), and decreased prealbumin levels (p < 0.05). Even in patients with a CRP level higher than 0.1 mg/dL, male gender and low prealbumin concentrations (<15 mg/dL) were significantly correlated with overall and infectious morbidities (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative prealbumin concentrations are useful predictors of short-term postoperative outcomes after gastrectomy.

The pretreatment Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is an independent prognostic factor in patients with resectable thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: results from a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score on survival compared with the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) in patients with resectable thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

METHODS

One hundred eighty-five consecutive patients who underwent subtotal esophagectomy with curative intent for resectable thoracic ESCC were retrospectively reviewed. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve analyses for 3-year overall survival (OS) as the endpoint were performed, and the maximal Youden indices were calculated to assess discrimination ability and to determine the appropriate cut-off values of CONUT, PLR, and NLR. The patients were then classified into high and low groups based on these cut-off values. Correlations between CONUT and other clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. Prognostic factors predicting overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

The areas under the curve predicting 3-year OS were 0.603 for CONUT, 0.561 for PLR, 0.564 for NLR, and 0.563 for GPS. The optimal cut-off values were two for the CONUT score, 193 for PLR, and 3.612 for NLR. The high-CONUT group was significantly associated with lower BMI, high-PLR, high-NLR, and GPS1/2 groups. On univariate analysis, high-CONUT, high-PLR, high-NLR, and GPS 1/2 groups were significantly associated with poorer OS and RFS. Of these factors, multivariate analysis revealed that only the CONUT score was an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR 2.303, 95 % CI 1.191-4.455; p = 0.013) and RFS (HR 2.163, 95 % CI 1.139-4.109; p = 0.018).

CONCLUSIONS

The CONUT score was an independent predictor of OS and RFS before treatment and was superior to PLR, NLR, and GPS in terms of predictive ability for prognosis in patients with resectable thoracic ESCC.

Association between pretreatment Glasgow prognostic score and gastric cancer survival and clinicopathological features: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is widely known as a systemic inflammatory-based marker. The relationship between pretreatment GPS and gastric cancer (GC) survival and clinicopathological features remains controversial. The aim of the study was to conduct a meta-analysis of published studies to evaluate the association between pretreatment GPS and survival and clinicopathological features in GC patients.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and BioMed databases for relevant studies. Combined analyses were used to assess the association between pretreatment GPS and overall survival, disease-free survival, and clinicopathological parameters by Stata Version 12.0.

RESULTS

A total of 14 studies were included in this meta-analysis, including 5,579 GC patients. The results indicated that pretreatment high GPS (HGPS) predicted poor overall survival (hazard ratio =1.51, 95% CI: 1.37-1.66, P<0.01) and disease-free survival (hazard ratio =1.45, 95% CI: 1.26-1.68, P<0.01) in GC patients. Pretreatment HGPS was also significantly associated with advanced tumor-node-metastasis stage (odds ratio [OR] =3.09, 95% CI: 2.11-4.53, P<0.01), lymph node metastasis (OR =4.60, 95% CI: 3.23-6.56, P<0.01), lymphatic invasion (OR =3.04, 95% CI: 2.00-4.62, P<0.01), and venous invasion (OR =3.56, 95% CI: 1.81-6.99, P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Our meta-analysis indicated that pretreatment HGPS could be a predicative factor of poor survival outcome and clinicopathological features for GC patients.

Preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio plus platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in predicting survival for patients with stage I-II gastric cancer

Background

The preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are associated with poor prognosis of gastric cancer. We aimed to determine whether the combination of NLR and PLR (NLR–PLR) could better predict survival of patients after curative resection for stage I–II gastric cancer.

Methods

We collected data from the medical records of patients with stage I–II gastric cancer undergoing curative resection between December 2000 and November 2012 at the Sun Yat-sen Cancer Center. The preoperative NLR–PLR was calculated as follows: patients with both elevated NLR (≥2.1) and PLR (≥120) were given a score of 2, and patients with only one or neither were given a score of 1 or 0, respectively.

Results

Kaplan–Meier analysis and log-rank tests revealed significant differences in overall survival (OS) among patients with NLR–PLR scores of 0, 1 and 2 (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that OS was independently associated with the NLR–PLR score [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–2.24, P = 0.039] and TNM stage (HR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.01–1.83, P = 0.041). However, other systemic inflammation-based prognostic scores, including the modified Glasgow prognostic score, the prognostic nutritional index, and the combination of platelet count and NLR, were not. In TNM stage-stratified analysis, the prognostic significance of NLR–PLR was maintained in patients with stage I (P < 0.001) and stage II cancers (P = 0.022). In addition, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the NLR–PLR score was higher than those of other systemic inflammation-based prognostic scores (P = 0.001).

Conclusion

The preoperative NLR-PLR score is a useful predictor of postoperative survival in the patients with stage I–II gastric cancer and may help identify high-risk patients for rational therapy and timely follow-up.

Does the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) have a prognostic role in esophageal cancer?

BACKGROUND

The modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS), which combines indices of decreased plasma albumin and elevated CRP, has reported independent prognostic significance in colorectal cancer, but its value in upper gastrointestinal cancer is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic significance of mGPS in patients with operable esophageal malignancy.

METHODS

Patients undergoing resection with curative intent between January 2008 and June 2013 were included. The mGPS was scored as 0, 1, or 2 based on CRP(>10 mg/L) and albumin(<35g/L). The mGPS score (0 vs. 1/2 combined) was correlated with patient and tumor characteristics, and operative and oncologic outcomes.

RESULTS

Two hundred and twenty-three patients were included. Median (range) follow-up was 21(12-70) months. The mGPS was 0 in 174 patients(78%). mGPS was significantly associated with positive nodal status(P = 0.008) and stage ≥III (P = 0.017). There was a significant improvement in overall survival in patients with mGPS = 0 (47.8 vs. 37.5 months, P = 0.014) but in multivariate analysis, only TNM-stage and nodal status were found to be independent prognostic indicators.

CONCLUSIONS

mGPS is associated with advanced stage but has no independent prognostic significance and does not impact on operative outcomes. Consequently, this data does not support its routine application in patient selection or prognostication. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;113:732-737. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluation of Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score for Pancreatic Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

The modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) is known to be useful in determining the prognosis of cancers. However, the utility of mGPS for pancreatic cancer (PC) has been examined based primarily on a surgical series of early-stage cancers. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of mGPS for PC of all stages using a retrospective cohort design.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from a computerized database. A total of 807 patients with pathologically confirmed PC were analyzed (mGPS-0, n = 620; mGPS-1, n = 153; mGPS-2, n = 34).

RESULTS

Median overall survival (OS) was significantly worse for the mGPS-1 group than for the mGPS-0 group (5.8 vs 15.8 months, respectively) but was comparable between the mGPS-2 and mGPS-1 groups (4.8 vs 5.8 months, respectively). After adjustment, both mGPS-1 and mGPS-2 were independent predictive factors of OS (mGPS-1: hazard ratio, 1.772; 95% confidence interval, 1.417-2.215; mGPS-2: hazard ratio, 2.033; 95% confidence interval, 1.284-3.219). Subgroup analysis showed that OS was significantly worse in the mGPS-1 and mGPS-2 groups than in the mGPS-0 group for all except the following 2 subgroups: localized disease and curative resection.

CONCLUSIONS

The present results show that the mGPS is an independent prognostic factor in patients with PC, especially for advanced-stage disease.

Evaluation of inflammation-based prognostic scores in patients undergoing hepatobiliary resection for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Inflammation-based prognostic scores have prognostic value in several kinds of cancer. However, little is known about their value in perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. We evaluated whether inflammation-based prognostic scores are associated with survival of patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

METHODS

Inflammation-based scores (i.e., the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, and prognostic nutritional index) were retrospectively evaluated in 534 patients who underwent resection for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Blood samples obtained 1-3 days before surgery after jaundice had fully resolved with biliary drainage and after cholangitis had subsided were used to obtain the scores.

RESULTS

Of the four scores evaluated, the mGPS showed prognostic value, whereas the remaining three scores did not. Patients with an mGPS of 0 had significantly better survival than patients with an mGPS of 1 or 2 (41.9 % vs 26.3 % at 5 years, P < 0.001). An mGPS of 1 or 2 was significantly associated with a higher incidence of preoperative cholangitis, node metastasis, and distant metastasis (pM). Irrespective of the absence (n = 442) or presence (n = 92) of preoperative cholangitis, the survival of patients with an mGPS of 0 was significantly better than that of patients with an mGPS of 1 or 2. Multivariate analysis revealed that the mGPS, blood transfusion, histologic grade, curability (R status), lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis were independent prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONS

As in other solid cancers, the mGPS is an independent prognostic factor in resected perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. This simple and inexpensive scoring system plays an important role in refining patient stratification and predicting survival.

Association between the inflammatory biomarker, C-reactive protein, and the response to radiochemotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer

Locally advanced esophageal cancer has been treated by a multimodality regimen encompassing combined radiochemotherapy (RCT). The tumor response to neoadjuvant RCT is a major determinant of further therapeutic strategies, whether surgery or a continuation of RCT, and therefore, also of the patient's overall prognosis. The present study included patients with histologically proven squamous cell esophageal carcinoma. The C-reactive protein (CRP) level was measured prior to and following the completion of neoadjuvant RCT. Only CRP measurements taken within 2 weeks of the start of RCT were analyzed. Further measurements were then taken at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36 and 40 weeks following RCT. CRP levels were high prior to treatment; however, eventually decreased and normalized following the therapy. In univariate analysis, pre-therapeutic CRP levels had a significant influence on the response rate (P=0.033), whilst post-therapeutic CRP levels had no significant influence (P=0.383). Pre-therapeutic CRP levels, however, not post-therapeutic CRP levels were significantly correlated with the response rate (P=0.045 and P=0.444, respectively), and no association was observed between CRP levels and survival. This preliminary data indicated that the pre-therapeutic serum CRP level is a possible indicator of treatment response to RCT.

Systemic Inflammatory Response Based on Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Prognostic Marker in Bladder Cancer

A growing body of evidence suggests that systemic inflammatory response (SIR) in the tumor microenvironment is closely related to poor oncologic outcomes in cancer patients. Over the past decade, several SIR-related hematological factors have been extensively investigated in an effort to risk-stratify cancer patients to improve treatment selection and to predict posttreatment survival outcomes in various types of cancers. In particular, one readily available marker of SIR is neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), which can easily be measured on the basis of absolute neutrophils and absolute lymphocytes in a differential white blood cell count performed in the clinical setting. Many investigators have vigorously assessed NLR as a potential prognostic biomarker predicting pathological and survival outcomes in patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the bladder. In this paper, we aim to present the prognostic role of NLR in patients with UC of the bladder through a thorough review of the literature.

A Novel Scoring System Based on Fibrinogen and the Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of Chemotherapy Response and Prognosis in Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> We assessed the clinical applicability of the F-NLR score, which is based on fibrinogen (F) and the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) to predict the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy on advanced gastric cancer and the prognoses of patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Sixty-eight patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with first-line chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy were classified into two groups based on tumor response. Furthermore, we categorized patients according to cutoff F-NLR scores of 2 [hyperfibrinogenemia (>400 mg/dl) and high NLR (>3.0)], 1 [one of these hematological abnormalities], and 0 [neither hyperfibrinogenemia nor high NLR]. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 27 patients had progressive disease (PD) and 41 did not. The F-NLR scores were significantly higher in the PD than in the non-PD group (p = 0.003). Survival was significantly shorter for patients with high F-NLR scores and GPS (p = 0.0071 and p = 0.0065, respectively). Multivariate analysis selected the F-NLR score as an independent prognostic factor (p = 0.017). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> A novel grading system based on F-NLR scores, as well as the GPS, appears to have value as a clinical predictor of the therapeutic response of advanced gastric cancer to chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy and the prognoses of patients.

C-Reactive Protein Is an Important Biomarker for Prognosis Tumor Recurrence and Treatment Response in Adult Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE

A systematic literature review was done to determine the relationship between elevated CRP and prognosis in people with solid tumors. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a serum acute phase reactant and a well-established inflammatory marker. We also examined the role of CRP to predict treatment response and tumor recurrence.

METHODS

MeSH (Medical Subject Heading) terms were used to search multiple electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS, EBM-Cochrane). Two independent reviewers selected research papers. We also included a quality Assessment (QA) score. Reports with QA scores <50% were excluded. PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) methodology was utilized for this review (S1 PRISMA Checklist).

RESULTS

271 articles were identified for final review. There were 45% prospective studies and 52% retrospective. 264 had intermediate QA score (≥50% but <80%); Seven were adequate (80% -100%); A high CRP was predictive of prognosis in 90% (245/271) of studies-80% of the 245 studies by multivariate analysis, 20% by univariate analysis. Many (52%) of the articles were about gastrointestinal malignancies (GI) or kidney malignancies. A high CRP was prognostic in 90% (127 of 141) of the reports in those groups of tumors. CRP was also prognostic in most reports in other solid tumors primary sites.

CONCLUSIONS

A high CRP was associated with higher mortality in 90% of reports in people with solid tumors primary sites. This was particularly notable in GI malignancies and kidney malignancies. In other solid tumors (lung, pancreas, hepatocellular cancer, and bladder) an elevated CRP also predicted prognosis. In addition there is also evidence to support the use of CRP to help decide treatment response and identify tumor recurrence. Better designed large scale studies should be conducted to examine these issues more comprehensively.

Clinicopathologic and Prognostic Value of Serum Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 in Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background. The clinical value of carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 in gastric cancer is controversial. We evaluated the clinicopathologic and prognostic value of CA 19-9 in gastric cancer. Methods. A literature search was conducted in PubMed and Embase databases. Odds ratios (ORs), risk ratios (RR), hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as effect measures. Results. Thirty-eight studies were included. Results showed that there were significant differences in the incidence of high CA 19-9 levels between stages III/IV and I/II groups (OR = 3.36; 95% CI = 2.34–4.84), the pT3/T4 and pT1/T2 groups (OR = 2.40; 95% CI = 1.60–3.59), the lymph node-positive and node-negative groups (OR = 2.91; 95% CI = 2.21–3.84), the metastasis-positive and metastasis-negative groups (OR = 2.76; 95% CI = 1.12–6.82), and vessel invasion-positive and invasion-negative groups (OR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.11–2.48). Moreover, CA 19-9 was significantly associated with poor overall survival (HR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.56–2.15), disease-free survival (HR = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.16–2.95), and disease-specific survival (HR = 1.33; 95% CI = 1.10–1.60) in gastric cancer. Conclusions. Our meta-analysis showed that CA 19-9 indicates clinicopathologic characteristics of gastric cancer and is associated with a poor prognosis.

Which is a more reliable indicator of survival after gastric cancer surgery: Postoperative complication occurrence or C-reactive protein elevation?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The impact of postoperative complications on long-term outcome has been reported in several types of malignancies. However, it is unclear why postoperative complications affect long-term outcome. The aim of this study is evaluating whether postoperative complication occurrence or C-reactive protein (CRP) elevation better reflects long-term outcome in gastric cancer patients.

METHODS

This study included 305 patients who underwent curative surgery for pT2-T4b gastric cancer. Patients were divided into two groups based on the peak CRP value (CRPmax): low (<12 mg/dl) and high CRPmax (≥ 12 mg/dl). A multivariate analysis was conducted to identify independent prognostic factors for recurrence-free survival (RFS).

RESULTS

Postoperative complications (≥ Grade II) occurred in 86 of 305 patients (28.2%). Although CRP elevation (P = 0.001) and postoperative complication occurrence (P = 0.045) was each significantly associated with RFS in the univariate analysis, multivariate analysis identified CRP elevation (P = 0.017) but not complication occurrence (P = 0.682) as an independent prognostic factor. Among patients without complications, those in the high CRPmax group had significantly worse RFS than those in the low CRPmax group (P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

CRP elevation is a more reliable indicator of survival after gastric cancer surgery than postoperative complication occurrence. Surgeons should minimize the postoperative inflammatory response to improve prognosis.

Analysis of the Fibrinogen and Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Promising Blood Marker of Tumor Progression and Prognosis

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies in gastrointestinal tract cancers and even patients with early ESCC have a high metastatic potential. Difficulties are associated with clinically predicting tumor progression and prognosis based on conventional tumor markers determined from preoperative blood examinations. The aim of the present study was to measure plasma fibrinogen levels and the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in blood and compare the clinical impacts of their combined values (fibrinogen and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio score-F-NLR score) and the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) in patients with ESCC.We classified 238 patients with ESCC based on cut-off values for hyperfibrinogenemia (>400 mg/dL) and high NLR (>3.0) as F-NLR scores of 2 (both of these hematological abnormalities), 1 (one of these abnormalities), or 0 (neither abnormality). We also categorized patients based on cut-off values for high C-reactive protein (CRP) (>0.5 mg/dL) and hypoalbuminemia (<3.8 g/dL) as mGPS of 2 (elevated CRP and hypoalbuminemia), 1 (either elevated CRP or hypoalbuminemia), or 0 (neither elevated CRP nor hypoalbuminemia).The F-NLR score correlated with the depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular invasion, tumor size, and stage (all P < 0.05). Prognoses among the groups based on the F-NLR score and mGPS significantly differed (all P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis identified the depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, and F-NLR score as independent prognostic factors (P = 0.002, P = 0.007, and P = 0.037, respectively).The results of the present study showed that the F-NLR score is a promising blood predictor for tumor progression and outcomes in patients with ESCC.

Modified glasgow prognostic score as a prognostic factor in gastriccancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) had been reported to associate with the prognosis ofgastric cancer (GC), butits significance in gastric cancer patients has not been studied fully.

METHODS

PubMed; EMBASE; Web of Science and CNKI data base were searched to identify studies using the mGPS in gastric cancer patients. Outcome measures that were evaluated included overall survival (OS), lymphatic invasion and venous invasion inpatients with gastric cancer.

RESULTS

A total of seven studies comprising 3206 patients were included in the meta-analysisof which all used OS as an outcome measure, three studies reported lymphatic invasionand three evaluated venous invasion. The results show that OS was worse in patients with an mGPS=1 and 2 (odds ratio [OR]=2.54, 95% [CI]: 1.62-3.98 and OR=12.02, 95% [CI]: 6.79-21.28, respectively) compared with those with a score of 0 (both P<0.01). Furthermore, gastric cancer patients with mGPS≥1 have higher rates of lymphatic and venous invasion with ORs of 2.51 (95% CI: 1.80-3.51) and 2.63 (95% CI: 1.35-5.11) respectively (both P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Them GPS could be used as a prognosis predictorfor gastric cancer patients and associated lymphatic and venous invasion.

Preoperative C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio Predicts Prognosis of Patients after Curative Resection for Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND: An elevated preoperative C-reactive protein/albumin (CRP/Alb) ratio has been reported to be associated with a poor prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic value of the preoperative CRP/Alb ratio and compare it with other systemic inflammatory response markers in patients with gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in 455 patients with GC undergoing curative resection. We investigated the correlations between the preoperative CRP/Alb ratio and overall survival (OS). Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models were used to assess independent prognostic factors. The area under the curve was used to compare the prognostic value of different markers. RESULTS: On multivariate analysis, the CRP/Alb ratio were independently associated with OS in patients with GC (hazard ratio: 1.626; 95% confidence interval: 1.191-2.219; P = .002), along with age (P = .003), preoperative body weight loss (P = .001), tumor location (P = .008), metastatic lymph node ratio (P < .001), and seventh tumor-nodes-metastasis stage (American Joint Committee on Cancer) (P = .007). However, several other systemic inflammation–based prognostic scores (neutrophil lymphocyte ratio, platelet lymphocyte ratio and systemic immune-inflammation index, Glasgow Prognostic Score, modified Glasgow prognostic score, and high-sensitivity modified Glasgow prognostic score) were not. In addition, the CRP/Alb ratio had a higher area under the curve value (0.625) compared with several other systemic inflammation–based prognostic scores (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The preoperative CRP/Alb ratio, a system inflammation-based prognostic score, is a superior predictor of OS in patients undergoing curative resection for GC and may help to identify the high-risk patients for treatment decisions.

Prognostic Model Based on Systemic Inflammatory Response and Clinicopathological Factors to Predict Outcome of Patients with Node-Negative Gastric Cancer

Prognostic models are generally used to predict gastric cancer outcomes. However, no model combining patient-, tumor- and host-related factors has been established to predict outcomes after radical gastrectomy, especially outcomes of patients without nodal involvement. The aim of this study was to develop a prognostic model based on the systemic inflammatory response and clinicopathological factors of resectable gastric cancer and determine whether the model can improve prognostic accuracy in node-negative patients. We reviewed the clinical, laboratory, histopathological and survival data of 1397 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy between 2007 and 2013. Patients were split into development and validation sets of 1123 and 274 patients, respectively. Among all 1397 patients, 545 had node-negative gastric cancer; 440 were included in the development set, 105 were included in the validation set. A prognostic model was constructed from the development set. The scoring system was based on hazard ratios in a Cox proportional hazard model. In the multivariate analysis, age, tumor size, Lauren type, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and the neutrophil--lymphocyte ratio were independent prognostic indicators of overall survival. A prognostic model was then established based on the significant factors. Patients were categorized into five groups according to their scores. The 3-year survival rates for the low- to high-risk groups were 98.9%, 92.8%, 82.4%, 58.4%, and 36.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). The prognostic model clearly discriminated patients with stage pT1-4N0M0 tumor into four risk groups with significant differences in the 3-year survival rates (P < 0.001). Compared with the pathological T stage, the model improved the predictive accuracy of the 3-year survival rate by 5% for node-negative patients. The prognostic scores also stratified the patients with stage pT4aN0M0 tumor into significantly different risk groups (P = 0.004). Furthermore, the predictive value of this model was validated in an independent set of 274 patients. This model, which included the systemic inflammatory markers and clinicopathological factors, is more effective in predicting the prognosis of node-negative gastric cancer than traditional staging systems. Patients in the high-risk group might be good candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy.

The relationship between Glasgow Prognostic Score and serum tumor markers in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Background

Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) has been reported as a powerful prognostic tool for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between GPS and prognosis related tumor markers in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Methods

We included 138 advanced NSCLC patients and twenty healthy controls in the study. GPS was calculated by combined serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin. Three serum tumor markers, which included cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA21–1), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS), were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). GPS and tumor markers were all assessed before chemotherapy. All patients received at least 2 courses of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. After that, 2 to 5 years follow-up was conducted.

Results

Median levels of CYFRA21–1 were 1.5 ng/ml (0.1–3.1 ng/ml) in healthy controls, and 4.6 ng/ml (0.7–35.2 ng/ml) in GPS 0 advanced NSCLC, 11.2 ng/ml (0.4–89.2) ng/ml in GPS 1 advanced NSCLC, and 15.7 ng/ml (2.9–134.6 ng/ml) in GPS 2 advanced NSCLC, respectively. Median levels of CYFRA21-1 were higher in NSCLC patients than in healthy controls, and CYFRA21-1 increased gradually according to GPS category in NSCLC patients (P < 0.05). Similar results were found for median levels of CEA and TPS in healthy controls and NSCLC patients (P < 0.05). In NSCLC patients, positive correlations were found between CYFRA21-1 and GPS, CEA and GPS, TPS and GPS. The Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were 0.67 (P < 0.05), 0.61 (P < 0.05) and 0.55 (P < 0.05), respectively. Survival analyses showed GPS was an independent prognostic factor for advanced NSCLC. CYFRA21-1(>3.3 ng/ml) and TPS (>80 U/l) were related with the prognosis of advanced NSCLC by univariate analyses, but multivariate analyses showed CYFRA21-1, TPS and CEA were not the independent prognostic factors for advanced NSCLC.

Conclusions

Our results showed GPS were positive correlated with CYFRA21-1, CEA and TPS in patients with advanced NSCLC. However, GPS was more efficient in predicting prognosis of advanced NSCLC than these three single prognosis related tumor markers.

Glasgow prognostic score predicts prognosis for cancer patients in palliative settings: a subanalysis of the Japan-prognostic assessment tools validation (J-ProVal) study

PURPOSE

The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), which uses C-reactive protein and albumin levels, is a good predictor of prognosis in cancer patients undergoing anti-tumor therapy. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between GPS and survival among cancer patients in palliative settings, as findings in such populations have not been well described.

METHODS

This was a subanalysis of a multicenter, prospective, cohort study in patients who were adults, diagnosed with advanced cancer, and first referred to palliative care service in Japan. Patients who were not receiving anti-tumor therapy and who had undergone laboratory examinations were eligible. Clinical features were analyzed to investigate prognostic factors.

RESULTS

A total of 1160 patients were enrolled (41.6 % female; median age, 72 years). The independent predictors were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) score of 4 (hazard ratio (HR), 1.54), liver metastasis (HR, 1.21), dyspnea (HR, 1.35), edema (HR, 1.25), prognostic performance index (HR, 1.56), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (HR, 1.43), and GPS of 2 (HR, 1.36). The sensitivity and specificity for 3-week prognosis of a GPS of 2 were 0.879 and 0.410. Median survival time with GPS of 0, 1, and 2 was 58 days (95 % confidence interval, 48-81), 43 days (37-50), and 21 days (19-24), respectively (log-rank test, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The GPS was a good prognostic indicator for cancer patients in palliative settings.

Association between C-reactive protein, incident liver cancer, and chronic liver disease mortality in the Linxian Nutrition Intervention Trials: a nested case-control study

BACKGROUND

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of systemic inflammation that has been associated with the incidence and prognosis for a number of different cancers. Recent data suggest that CRP may be a prognostic factor for liver cancer and cirrhosis. However, few long-term studies are available.

METHODS

We prospectively examined associations between serum CRP and subsequent risk of liver cancer incidence or chronic liver disease mortality in a nested case-control study performed in the Linxian Nutrition Intervention Trials cohort. Baseline serum CRP was measured for 220 incident liver cancer cases, 276 participants who died of chronic liver disease, and 1,018 age-, sex-, and trial-matched controls. Unconditional logistical regression models were used to estimate ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

Compared with the lowest quartile, subjects in the fourth quartile of serum CRP had a higher risk of liver cancer incidence (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.06-2.51), with a significant Ptrend across quartiles (P = 0.01). The association with liver cancer was only significant among men (Q4 vs. Q1; OR, 2.00; 1.10-3.62), but not among women (Q4 vs. Q1; OR, 1.15; 0.60-2.22). For chronic liver disease deaths, the corresponding risk estimate in men and women was 2.95 (1.90-4.57), with a monotonic trend (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher serum CRP concentrations at baseline were associated with subsequent incidence of liver cancer and death from chronic liver disease.

IMPACT

Our findings suggest that levels of systemic inflammation may serve as a long-term marker of liver cancer and liver disease.

The prognostic significance of pretreatment serum CEA levels in gastric cancer: a meta-analysis including 14651 patients

BACKGROUND

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is commonly used as a serum tumor marker in clinical practice; however, its prognostic value for gastric cancer patients remains uncertain. This meta-analysis was performed to assess the prognostic value of CEA and investigate CEA as a tumor marker.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE and other databases were searched for potentially eligible studies. Forty-one studies reporting the prognostic effect of pretreatment serum CEA expression in gastric cancer patients were selected. Data on 14651 eligible patients were retrieved for the meta-analysis. Based on the data extracted from the available literature, the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for an adverse prognosis were estimated for gastric cancer patients with elevated pretreatment serum levels of CEA (CEA+) relative to patients with normal pretreatment CEA levels (CEA-).

RESULTS

The CEA+ patients had a significantly poorer prognosis than the CEA- patients in terms of overall survival (OS: HR 1.716, 95% CI 1.594 - 1.848, P< 0.001), disease-specific survival (DSS: HR 1.940, 95% CI 1.563 - 2.408, P< 0.001), and disease-free survival (DFS: HR 2.275, 95% CI 1.836 - 2.818, P< 0.001). Publication bias and an influence of different cut-off values were not observed (all P> 0.05). In the pooled analyses of multivariate-adjusted HRs, the results suggested that pretreatment serum CEA may be an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer (OS: HR 1.681, 95% CI 1.425 - 1.982; DSS: HR 1.900, 95% CI 1.441 - 2.505; DFS: HR 2.579, 95% CI 1.935 - 3.436).

CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE

The meta-analysis based on the available literature supported the association of elevated pretreatment serum CEA levels with a poor prognosis for gastric cancer and a nearly doubled risk of mortality in gastric cancer patients. CEA may be an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients and may aid in determining appropriate treatment which may preferentially benefit the CEA+ patients.

Changes in modified Glasgow prognostic score after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a prognostic factor in clinical stage II/III esophageal cancer

The inflammation-based modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) has been shown to be a prognostic factor for esophageal cancer, but its changes in relation to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) have never been discussed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential prognostic role of mGPS with regard to NAC. mGPS was evaluated on the basis of admission blood samples taken before chemotherapy and before surgery. Patients with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels (>10 mg/L) and hypoalbuminemia (<35 g/L) were allocated a score of 2, patients with elevated CRP serum levels without hypoalbuminemia were allocated a score of 1, and patients with normal CRP serum levels with or without hypoalbuminemia were allocated a score of 0. A total of 100 patients with clinical stage II/III squamous cell esophageal cancer, who underwent NAC and esophagectomy between January 2007 and August 2012, were investigated. From the multivariate analysis, the grade of response to chemotherapy and post-NAC mGPS level was found to be independent prognostic factors. The overall survival rate was significantly higher in the conserved mGPS group than in the worse mGPS group (P = 0.030). Changes in mGPS during chemotherapy affected the prognosis of patients, and post-NAC mGPS is an independent prognostic factor in patients with clinical stage II/III thoracic esophageal squamous cell cancer.

Differential impact of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio on the survival of patients with stage IV gastric cancer

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) may be related to progression in several cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of pretreatment NLR in advanced gastric cancer on the prognosis of the patients stratified by metastatic pattern.

METHODS

We retrospectively investigated clinical data from 191 patients with stage IV gastric cancer who had undergone surgery for primary gastric cancer between 1997 and 2010 at the Department of Surgical Oncology of Osaka City University.

RESULTS

All patients had unresectable metastatic factors including peritoneal metastasis (P) and liver metastasis (H). Sixty-one (32%) patients had more than two unresectable factors. We determined a cutoff value of 2.5 for the NLR to be optimal to discriminate the patient's characteristics and divided patients into low (<2.5) and high (>2.5) NLR group for subsequent analysis. In the low NLR group, long survival was found in patients with H, P, or multiple site metastases.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that NLR well reflects the progression of critical metastasis and surgical resection might improve prognosis for patients with low NLR. In conclusion, NLR might be used as a predictive marker to decide on surgical therapy for patients with Stage IV gastric cancer.

Neutrophil count and the inflammation-based glasgow prognostic score predict survival in patients with advanced gastric cancer receiving first-line chemotherapy

PURPOSE

To explore the value of systemic inflammatory markers as independent prognostic factors and the extent these markers improve prognostic classification for patients with inoperable advanced or metastatic gastric cancer (GC) receiving palliative chemotherapy.

METHODS

We studied the prognostic value of systemic inflammatory factors such as circulating white blood cell count and its components as well as that combined to form inflammation-based prognostic scores (Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), Prognostic Index (PI) and Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI)) in 384 patients with inoperable advanced or metastatic gastric cancer (GC) receiving first-line chemotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the impact of inflammatory markers on overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Univariate analysis revealed that an elevated white blood cell, neutrophil and/or platelet count, a decreased lymphocyte count, a low serum albumin concentration, and high CRP concentration, as well as elevated NLR/PLR , GPS, PI, PNI were significant predictors of shorter OS. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only elevated neutrophil count (HR 3.696, p=0.003) and higher GPS (HR 1.621, p=0.01) were independent predictors of poor OS.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated elevated pretreatment neutrophil count and high GPS to be independent predictors of shorter OS in inoperable advanced or metastatic GC patients treated with first-line chemotherapy. Upon validation of these data in independent studies, stratification of patients using these markers in future clinical trials is recommended.

The preoperative lymphocyte to monocyte ratio predicts clinical outcomes in patients with stage II/III gastric cancer

Recently, lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) has been reported to be associated with clinical outcomes in some types of cancer but has not been explored in gastric cancer. In this study, we analyzed the association between LMR and clinical outcomes in stage II/III gastric cancer patients. Preoperative LMR calculated from peripheral lymphocyte and monocyte with corresponding clinical features from 426 stage II/III gastric cancer patients was noted. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model were applied for overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Related with smaller tumor size (p<0.001), increased LMR could predict better OS [hazard ratio (HR), 0.688; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.521-0.908, p=0.008] and was borderline significantly associated with better RFS (HR, 0.775; 95% CI, 0.592-1.01, p=0.06) in stage II/III gastric cancer patients through multivariable analysis. Subgroup analyses revealed that except stage III patients for RFS which yielded borderline significance (p=0.052), lower LMR was associated with poor clinical outcomes for patients regardless of different stages or whether the patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. The elevated preoperative LMR level was a significant favorable factor in the prognosis of stage II/III gastric cancer patients, especially for those with stage II. However, further validation of our findings is warranted.

The high-sensitivity modified Glasgow prognostic score is superior to the modified Glasgow prognostic score as a prognostic predictor in patients with resectable gastric cancer

AIM

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the superiority of the high-sensitivity modified Glasgow prognostic score (HS-mGPS) before surgery in patients with gastric cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The participants of this retrospective study comprised 552 patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy at the Fukuoka University Hospital. The HS-mGPS was calculated before surgery based on cutoff values of 0.3 mg/dl for C-reactive protein and 3.5 g/dl for albumin, and correlations between the HS-mGPS and the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis were evaluated. In addition, the superiority of the HS-mGPS to the mGPS as a prognostic indicator was examined in detail.

RESULTS

The mGPS was 0 in 494 patients, 1 in 24 patients and 2 in 34 patients. In contrast, the HS-mGPS was 0 in 411 patients, 1 in 75 patients and 2 in 66 patients. Both the mGPS (p < 0.0001) and HS-mGPS (p < 0.0001) were good prognostic predictors in gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy. Of the 494 patients with an mGPS of 0 before surgery, 51 and 32 exhibited an HS-mGPS of 1 and 2, respectively. The patients who exhibited migration in the HS-mGPS demonstrated a significantly more unfavorable prognosis than the patients with an HS-mGPS of 0 (p < 0.0001). The prognostic impact of the HS-mGPS was especially clear in stage I and IV patients (p = 0.0027, p = 0.017). The HS-mGPS was found to be a superior prognostic predictor compared to the mGPS in a multivariate analysis (p = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONS

The HS-mGPS before surgery is a superior prognostic predictor in patients with gastric cancer.

Serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and prognosis of patients with gastric cancer

Previous studies have assessed the prognostic role of serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) concentration in patients with gastric cancer, but the findings from those studies were inconsistent. We searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases to find eligible studies assessing the prognostic role of CA 19-9 in patients with gastric cancer. Twelve studies with a total of 5,072 gastric cancer patients were finally included into the meta-analysis. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) with corresponding 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) for overall survival were calculated to assess the prognostic role of CA 19-9 in patients with gastric cancer. Overall, elevated serum concentration of CA 19-9 (>37 U/mL) was associated with poorer overall survival in patients with gastric cancer (fixed-effects HR = 1.36, 95 % CI 1.24-1.48, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis by study design further showed that elevated serum concentration of CA 19-9 was associated with poorer overall survival in patients with gastric cancer. There was no obvious risk of publication bias. Elevated concentration of serum CA 19-9 is associated with poorer overall survival in patients with gastric cancer.

Inflammation-related factors predicting prognosis of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC), which is mainly induced by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in the developing world. Active inflammation initiated by H. pylori infection and maintained by inherent immune disorders promotes carcinogenesis and postoperative recurrence. However, the presence with H. pylori in tumors has been linked to a better prognosis, possibly due to the induction of antitumor immunity. Tumor infiltrations of tumor-associated macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, neutrophils, Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cells are correlated with poor prognosis. Tumor infiltrating CD8⁺ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and CD45RO T cells are generally associated with good prognosis of GC, although some subsets of these immune cells have inverse prognosis prediction values. High ratios of Foxp3⁺/CD4⁺ and Foxp3⁺/CD8⁺ in tumors are associated with a poor prognosis; whereas high Th1/Th2 ratio in tumors predicts a good prognosis. High levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-32, and chemokine C-C motif ligands (CCL)7 and CCL21 in circulation, high expression of CXC chemokine receptor 4, chemokine C-C motif receptor (CCR)3, CCR4, CCR5, CCR7, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, signal transducer activator of transcription-3, cyclooxygenase-2, and orphan nuclear receptor 4A2 in tumors are associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Increased serum levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-3, MMP-7, and MMP-11 and increased levels of MMP-9, MMP-12, and MMP-21 in tumors are consistently associated with poor survival of GC. Further emphasis should be put on the integration of these biomarkers and validation in large cohorts for personalized prediction of GC postoperative prognosis.