Cumulative prognostic scores based on plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin levels in esophageal cancer patients treated with transthoracic esophagectomy: comparison with the Glasgow prognostic score

Identifying intense inflammatory subtype of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma using clustering approach

OBJECTIVE

To establish a risk-stratification system for predicting the postoperative recurrence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, this study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of clusters based on blood inflammation and coagulation markers and investigate their correlation with serum cytokines and genetic alteration.

METHOD

This single-center, retrospective cohort study enrolled 491 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent subtotal esophagectomy between 2004 and 2012. For cluster exploration, nonhierarchical cluster analysis and k-means were applied using serum C-reactive protein, albumin, fibrinogen, and platelet-lymphocyte ratio as variables. Then, multivariate survival analysis was conducted to investigate the association of clusters with recurrence-free survival. To characterize the clusters, serum interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and genetic alteration in primary tumors, the PleSSision-Rapid panel, which can evaluate 160 representative driver genes, was used.

RESULTS

Patients were classified into clusters 1, 2, and 3, which included 24 (5%), 161 (33%), and 306 (62%) patients, respectively. Compared with cluster 3, cluster 1 or 2 had significantly worse recurrence-free survival. Based on the multivariable analysis using cluster, pStage, and age as covariates, cluster was an independent prognostic factor for recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.21; P = 0.02). The percentage of serum interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 levels was the highest in cluster 1, followed by clusters 2 and 3. In 23 patients with available genomic profiles, no significant difference in representative genomic alterations was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-biased clustering using inflammation and coagulation markers identified the intense inflammatory subtype, which had an independent prognostic effect on recurrence-free survival.

The Naples prognostic score in esophagus cancer: Prognostic and beyond

OBJECTIVES

The role of inflammation in tumor biology has been better understood over time. The utility of the Naples prognostic score (NPS), which is a novel inflammation-based marker, was shown in esophageal carcinoma (EC) patients treated with surgery. We herein presented the prognostic and predictive value of NPS in EC patients treated with upfront chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

METHODS

Adult EC patients with squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma were included. Median survival was compared by log-rank test. Cox regression analyses were performed to establish the independent prognostic effect of NPS.

RESULTS

Of 153 patients, 97 (63.4%) and 56 (36.6%) patients were treated with CRT alone and CRT followed by surgery, respectively. The median overall survival (OS) was significantly different among the Naples prognostic groups (NPG) (60+ months [CI 95%: NA], 27 months [CI 95%: 16.8-37.5], and 18.5 months [CI 95%: 15.3-30.7] for NPG 0,1, and 2, respectively; P=0.007). Surgery following CRT provided survival benefit in NPG 1 (65+ months with surgery vs. 17.3 months without surgery, P<0.001) and in NPG 2 (33 months with surgery vs. 15 months without surgery, P=0.009). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the NPS is an independent prognostic marker for OS (HR is 1.28 for OS [CI 95%: 1.03-1.59], P=0.02).

CONCLUSION

NPS might be useful as a prognostic marker in also EC patients treated with upfront CRT. Patients with high NPS may have a high risk of recurrence. Surgery might be planned in EC at the diagnosis in NPG 1 and 2.

The prognostic value of the advanced lung cancer inflammation index in patients with gastrointestinal malignancy

BACKGROUND

Systemic inflammation is crucial for the development and progression of cancers. The advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) is considered to be a better indicator of systemic inflammation than current biomarkers. However, the prognostic value of the ALI in gastrointestinal neoplasms remains unclear. We performed the first meta-analysis to explore the association between ALI and gastrointestinal oncologic outcomes to help physicians better evaluate the prognosis of those patients.

METHODS

Eligible articles were retrieved using PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google Scholar by December 29, 2022. Clinical outcomes were overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS).

RESULTS

A total of 18 articles with 6898 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results demonstrated that a low ALI was correlated with poor OS (HR = 1.914, 95% CI: 1.514-2.419, P < 0.001), DFS (HR = 1.631, 95% CI: 1.197-2.224, P = 0.002), and PFS (HR = 1.679, 95% CI: 1.073-2.628, P = 0.023) of patients with gastrointestinal cancers. Subgroup analysis revealed that a low ALI was associated with shorter OS (HR = 2.279, 95% CI: 1.769-2.935, P < 0.001) and DFS (HR = 1.631, 95% CI: 1.197-2.224, P = 0.002), and PFS (HR = 1.911, 95% CI: 1.517-2.408, P = 0.002) of patients with colorectal cancer. However, the ALI was not related to CSS in the patients with gastrointestinal malignancy (HR = 1.121, 95% CI: 0.694-1.812, P = 0.640). Sensitivity analysis supported the stability and dependability of the above results.

CONCLUSION

The pre-treatment ALI was a useful predictor of prognosis in patients with gastrointestinal cancers.

Systemic inflammation score as a preoperative prognostic factor for patients with pT2-T4 resectable gastric cancer: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Systemic inflammation has been reported to be associated with cancer progression and metastasis. Systemic inflammation score (SIS), calculated from preoperative serum albumin level and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, has been shown to be a novel prognostic factor for several types of tumors. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the SIS in patients with pT2-4 resectable gastric cancer (GC).

METHODS

Total 97 patients with pT2-4 GC who underwent curative surgery from 322 cases between 2009 and 2015 in Fukushima Medical University Hospital were included. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses to evaluate the usefulness of preoperative SIS and other prognostic factors for relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The higher SIS score was associated with undifferentiated cancer and recurrence. Univariate analysis of RFS identified deeper tumor invasion and higher SIS were significant risk factors and multivariate analysis revealed that both of them were independent prognostic factors for RFS. As for OS, age, tumor invasion, SIS and LNR were significantly correlated with RFS. In multivariate analysis, tumor invasion, SIS and LNR were independent prognostic factors for OS.

CONCLUSIONS

SIS was an independent prognostic factor for RFS and OS in pT2-4 resectable gastric cancer patients who underwent curative gastrectomy.

Prospective evaluation of hematological parameters in preoperative renal cell cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Of all the genitourinary cancers, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still the most common malignancy with high mortality rates. There are still insufficient biomarkers to predict disease prognosis. Systemic inflammation markers play an important role in tumor development and growth. There are studies which show the relationship of fibrinogen and albumin individually with cancer prognosis in many cancers. Fibrinogen/albumin ratio(FAR), on the other hand, has prognostic importance like other inflammation indicators in cancer. Therefore, we investigated whether FAR had a potential value in evaluating the prognosis of patients with nonmetastatic kidney cancer or not.

METHODS

A total of 72 patients who had nephrectomy operation at 19 Mayıs University, Faculty of Medicine between January 2019 and January 2021 and who did not have distant metastasis were included in the study. FAR was calculated from the blood taken from the patients before the nephrectomy operation. The cut-off value was found for this FAR by receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve analysis. The patients were divided into 2 groups as high- and low-FAR according to this cut-off value. Kaplan Meier test was used to evaluate the predictive value of clinicopathological parameters for overall survival (OS). The Log-rank test was used to determine whether there was a relationship between the preoperative FAR and the clinico-pathological data of the patients.

RESULTS

The best cutoff value for the FAR was 0.114. A FAR > 0.114 was associated with higher Fuhrman Grade (FG) (P < 0.0001) and later pathological T stage (P < 0.0001). Patients with a high FAR (> 0.114) had worse OS [Std. Error 2.932, 95% confidence interval (CI): 73.659-85.154, P < 0.0001]. In addition, a positive significant correlation was found between high grade and platelet lymphocyte ratio (p < 0,020). Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the pathology t stage of the patients and the platelet lymphocyte ratio (p: 0.020).

CONCLUSIONS

The preoperative FAR is an independent prognostic factor of OS in renal cancer patients. A FAR > 0.114 was significantly related to decreased survival in renal cancer patients. In addition, the platelet-lymphocyte ratio seems to be related to OS, as well as FAR. Further studies are required on this subject.

Pretreatment plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin levels predict therapeutic efficacy of concurrent radiochemotherapy for esophageal squamous cell cancer

Purpose

Evidence implies that plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin level (FA score) based on plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin is related to cancer prognosis. However, the association between the FA score and therapeutic efficacy of concurrent radiochemotherapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not yet been evaluated. This study aimed to assess the role of pretreatment FA score in predicting the therapeutic efficacy of concurrent radiochemotherapy for patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer.

Methods

This retrospective study evaluated 154 patients with ESCC who underwent concurrent radiochemotherapy. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was used to determine the appropriate cut-off values, and multivariate analysis and Kaplan-Meier curve were used to evaluate prognosis.

Results

FA score was significantly associated with the N stage and M stage (P = 0.015 and 0.042, respectively). Chi-square analysis/Fisher’s exact tests revealed a correlation between the FA score and curative effect (P &lt; 0.001), and higher FA score was associated with poorer treatment effect. Multivariate analysis indicated that FA score (P &lt; 0.001) was predictor of overall survival (OS). Kaplan-Meier curve demonstrated that pretreatment FA score was significantly associated with the OS of ESCC: Patient with higher FA score has lower median OS.

Conclusions

The FA score is a reliable prognostic predictor that could assess the curative effect and OS benefit of concurrent radiochemotherapy in patients with ESCC.

A novel nutritional score based on serum triglyceride and protein levels predicts outcomes of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after curative hepatectomy: A multi-center study of 631 patients

Background

High serum triglyceride (STG) level is a well-established pathogenic factor for cardiovascular diseases and is associated with the risk of various malignancies. Nevertheless, the role of STG level in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remains uncertain.

Methods

A total of 631 ICC patients treated with curative hepatectomy in two centers (517 in the discovery set and 114 in the validation set) were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to assess the outcomes of the patients with different STG levels. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to compare the prognostic value of STG with other established indexes. The Triglyceride-Albumin-Globulin (TAG) grade was introduced and evaluated using the time-dependent area under curves (AUC) analysis and decision curve analysis (DCA).

Results

Patients with increased STG levels and decreased albumin-globulin score (AGS) were correlated with improved overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). STG level ≥ 1 mmol/L was an independent protective factor for surgically treated ICC patients. The predictive value of the TAG grade was superior to the STG or the AGS alone. In decision curve analysis, the net benefits of the TAG grade in the discovery and validation set were higher than STG and AGS.

Conclusion

The current study presented strong evidence that ICC patients with higher preoperative STG levels had preferred long-term surgical outcomes. The novel nutritional score based on serum triglyceride, albumin and globulin levels was inextricably linked to the prognosis of the surgically treated ICC patients. Evaluation of the TAG grade before curative hepatectomy may be beneficial for risk stratification and clinical decision support.

Elevation of the Prognostic Factor Plasma Fibrinogen Reflects the Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

Despite previous reports on the clinical significance of plasma fibrinogen (FNG) levels as a prognostic indicator of ESCC, its underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to validate the prognostic impact of plasma FNG levels and clarify its relationship with primary tumors in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

METHODS

The prognostic impact of FNG was evaluated in patients with ESCC who underwent esophagectomy between 2000 and 2019. The RNA sequencing of the primary ESCC site, which was from pre-operative biopsy, was performed, followed by immune profile characterization using an immunogram. Those profiles were assessed via the immunohistochemical staining of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and clinical response to nivolumab.

RESULTS

Multivariate analysis identified FNG as a significant prognostic factor in ESCC. The immunogram suggested an immunosuppressive tumor environment in the high-FNG group. Immunostaining with the TAM markers CD163 and CD204, revealed that the high-FNG group had significantly higher number of TAMs compared with the low-FNG group. The immunosuppressive characteristics were clinically validated in patients with metastatic ESCC; those who had elevated FNG levels showed poor response to nivolumab.

CONCLUSION

This study successfully validated the prognostic impact of plasma FNG levels in an expanded cohort with ESCC. Accordingly, our findings showed that increased plasma FNG reflects an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that facilitates tumor progression and poor responses to nivolumab.

Preoperative fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio predicts the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma subjected to hepatectomy

Background

Systemic inflammatory response (SIR) plays a crucial role in every step of tumorigenesis and development. More recently, the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR), an inflammation-based model, was suggested as a prognostic maker for various cancer patients. This research aimed to estimate the prognostic abilities of FAR, neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet– lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune–inflammation index (SII) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) subjected to curative hepatectomy.

Methods

A total of 1,502 cases who underwent hepatectomy for HCC were included. The predictive performances of FAR, NLR, MLR, PLR and SII were assessed with regards to overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). The area under the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve was used to compare prognostic performances.

Results

Data revealed that FAR had higher predictive accuracy than other inflammation-based models and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in assessing OS and DFS. Indeed, the OS and DFS of patients with high FAR (> 8.9), differentiated by the optimal cut-off value of FAR, were remarkably reduced (p < 0.05 for OS and DFS). Multivariate Cox regression analyses identified that AFP, FAR, clinically significant portal hypertension, tumor size, Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer staging system, major resection and blood loss were independent indicators for predicting OS and DFS. Furthermore, these patients could be classified according to their FAR into significantly different subgroups, regardless of AFP levels (p < 0.05 for DFS and OS). Similar results were obtained in other inflammation-based prognostic models.

Conclusions

Compared with NLR, MLR, PLR, SII and AFP, FAR showed significant advantages in predicting survival of HCC patients subjected to liver resection.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12876-022-02328-4.

Survival impact of perioperative changes in prognostic nutritional index levels after esophagectomy

BACKGROUND

The correlation between perioperative changes in nutritional status during esophagectomy and prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of changes in prognostic nutritional index levels during the perioperative period on esophageal cancer patient survivals.

METHODS

From January 2009 to May 2019, 158 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled. From the time-dependent ROC analysis, the cutoff values of preoperative and postoperative prognostic nutritional index levels were 46.9 and 40.9. Patients were divided into preoperative-high group (Group H) and preoperative-low group (Group L). Then, patients in Group L were divided into preoperative-low and postoperative-high group (Group L-H) and preoperative-low and postoperative-low group (Group L-L). Long-term outcomes and prognostic factors were evaluated.

RESULTS

Patients in Group L had significantly worse overall survival than those in Group H (p = 0.001). Patients in Group L-L had significantly worse overall survival than those in Group L-H (p = 0.023). However, there was no significant difference in overall survival between Groups H and L-H (p = 0.224). In multivariable analysis, advanced pathological stage (hazard ratio 10.947, 95% confidence interval 2.590-46.268, p = 0.001) and Group L-L (hazard ratio 2.171, 95% confidence interval 1.249-3.775, p = 0.006) were independent predictors of poor overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients in Group L-H had a good prognosis, similar to those in Group H. This result indicated that increasing the postoperative prognostic nutritional index level sufficiently using various intensive perioperative support methods could improve prognosis after esophagectomy in patients with poor preoperative nutritional status.

Modified Systemic Inflammation Score Is an Independent Predictor of Long-Term Outcome in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction

Background: The modified systemic inflammation score (mSIS), which is calculated by a composite score of the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio and the albumin content in serum, is identified as the new score to predict the prognosis for various cancers. However, its significance for patients with adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEJ), who receive surgery, remains unclear.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 317 patients with AEJ receiving surgery between September 2010 and December 2016. The associations between the mSIS and the clinicopathological features, overall survival (OS), as well as relapse-free survival (RFS), were assessed. In addition, the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (t-ROC) curve analysis was performed for comparing the value of those scoring systems in predicting patient prognosis.

Results: Of the 317 cases, 119 were rated as mSIS 0, 123 as mSIS 1, and 75 as mSIS 2. Besides, mSIS was significantly related to age and tumor size. On multivariate analysis, mSIS was identified as a predictor to independently predict OS (p < 0.001) along with RFS (p < 0.001), and a significantly strong correlation was observed at the advanced pTNM stages based on the mSIS system. In the subgroup analysis of adjuvant chemotherapy and surgery alone, mSIS was still the predictor for independently predicting patient OS (p < 0.001) together with RFS (p < 0.001) for the two groups. T-ROC analysis showed that mSIS was more accurate than controlling nutritional status score in predicting OS and RFS.

Conclusions: The mSIS can serve as an easy, useful scoring system to independently predict the preoperative survival for AEJ cases undergoing surgery.

Lymphocyte-to-C-Reactive Protein Ratio as a Novel Marker for Predicting Oncological Outcomes in Patients with Esophageal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Esophageal cancer has a poor prognosis because of its rapid progression and early and extensive lymph node metastasis. Simple, objective indicators for predicting long-term outcomes are needed to select optimal perioperative treatment and appropriate follow-up for patients with esophageal cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) and the survival of patients with esophageal cancer, by performing time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The results were compared to those of traditional inflammation-based markers.

METHODS

This study enrolled 495 patients who underwent thoracic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer as the primary treatment between 2000 and 2019 in our department. We investigated the predictability of the LCR for oncological outcomes compared to that of other traditional inflammatory markers.

RESULTS

The 3-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were 72.6% and 57.5%, respectively. Low LCR was significantly associated with higher cancer stage, included depth of invasion (p < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (p < 0.001) and cStage (p < 0.001). The LCR had the highest AUC value (0.675) for predicting OS compared to the other examined inflammatory markers. In multivariate analysis, the LCR (optimal cutoff threshold = 19,000) was identified as a significant predictor of death (hazard ratio, 2.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.61-3.12; p < 0.001) and recurrence (hazard ratio, 1.97; 95%CI, 1.48-2.63; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The LCR is novel indicator for oncological outcomes for patients with esophageal cancer and may assist to facilitate personalized multidisciplinary treatments.

On-treatment immune prognostic score for patients with relapsed and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with immunotherapy

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have suggested that inflammatory markers (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and fibrinogen) are prognostic biomarkers in patients with a variety of solid cancers, including those treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We aimed to develop a model that predicts response and survival in patients with relapsed and/or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with immunotherapy.

METHODS

Analysis of 100 consecutive patients with unresectable R/M HNSCC who were treated with ICI. Baseline and on-treatment (day 28) NLR, fibrinogen and LDH were calculated and correlated with response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) using univariate and multivariate analyses. The optimal cut-off values were derived using maximally selected log-rank statistics.

RESULTS

Low baseline NLR and fibrinogen levels were associated with response. There was a statistically significant correlation between on-treatment NLR and fibrinogen and best overall response. On-treatment high NLR and raised fibrinogen were significantly associated with poorer outcome. In multivariate analysis, on-treatment NLR (≥4) and on-treatment fibrinogen (≥4 ng/mL) showed a significant negative correlation with OS and PFS. Using these cut-off points, we generated an on-treatment score for OS and PFS (0-2 points). The derived scoring system shows appropriate discrimination and suitability for OS (HR 2.4, 95% CI 1.7 to 3.4, p<0.0001, Harrell's C 0.67) and PFS (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4 to 2.3, p<0.0001, Harrell's C 0.68). In the absence of an external validation cohort, results of fivefold cross-validation of the score and evaluation of median OS and PFS on the Kaplan-Meier survival distribution between trained and test data exhibited appropriate accuracy and concordance of the model.

CONCLUSIONS

NLR and fibrinogen levels are simple, inexpensive and readily available biomarkers that could be incorporated into an on-treatment scoring system and used to help predict survival and response to ICI in patients with R/M HNSCC.

The Prognostic Role and Nomogram Establishment of a Novel Prognostic Score Combining with Fibrinogen and Albumin Levels in Patients with WHO Grade II/III Gliomas

Purpose

World Health Organization (WHO) Grades II and III gliomas [also known as low grade gliomas (LGGs)] displayed different malignant behaviors and survival outcomes compared to Grade IV gliomas. This study aimed to identify the prognostic predictive value of a novel cumulative prognostic score [combined with fibrinogen and albumin levels (FA score)], establish and validate a point-based nomogram in LGG patients.

Patients and Methods

A total of 91 patients who underwent total glioma resection at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University between 2011 and 2013 were enrolled to establish a prognostic nomogram. All patients were histologically diagnosed as grades II/III, and never received radiotherapy or chemotherapy before surgery. Data collection included patient characteristics, clinicopathological factors, and preoperative hematology results. The performance of the nomogram was subsequently validated by the concordance index (c-index), calibration curve, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results

The FA score was negatively associated with the overall survival (OS) of LGG patients (p < 0.001). The results of multivariate analysis showed that FA score [p = 0.006, HR = 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21–3.05], age (p = 0.002, HR = 3.014, 95% CI:1.52–5.97), and white blood count (p < 0.001, HR = 4.24, 95% CI: 2.08–8.67) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). The study established a nomogram to predict OS with a c-index of 0.783 (95% CI, 0.72–0.84).

Conclusion

FA score might be a potential prognostic biomarker for LGG patients, and a reliable point-based nomogram will help clinicians to decide on the best treatment plans.

Combination of albumin-globulin score and skeletal muscle index predicts long-term outcomes of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients after curative resection

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Sarcopenia is characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass and associated with poor postoperative outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of preoperative albumin-globulin score (AGS), skeletal muscle index (SMI) as well as their combination in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) treated with surgical resection.

METHODS

A total of 613 newly diagnosed ICC patients from two centers were retrospectively analyzed (460 in discovery cohort and 153 in validation cohort). The plain computed tomography images were used to measure SMI. The effect of AGS, SMI and CAS grade on clinicopathological characteristics and long-term outcomes of patients with ICC were analyzed.

RESULTS

The SMI was significantly greater in males than in females. Patients with decreased AGS, increased SMI were associated with improved overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Stratefied by CAS grade, 68 (14.8%) patients in grade 1 were associated with increased body mass index (BMI) and best postoperative prognosis, whereas 194 (42.1%) patients in grade 3 were linked to worst OS and RFS. The CAS grade showed a promising accuracy in predicting OS and RFS of ICC patients (area under curves [AUCs] were 0.732 and 0.768). Multiple tumors, MVI and elevated CAS grades were identified as independent risk factors for OS and RFS of ICC patients. These results were confirmed by validation cohort.

CONCLUSION

The present study provided compelling evidence that a novel index based on combination of preoperative AGS and SMI was closely related to postoperative long-term outcomes for surgically treated ICC patients. Preoperative evaluation of CAS grade may be useful for risk classification and clinical therapeutic decision-making for ICC patients.

Fibrinogen-Albumin Ratio as a New Promising Preoperative Biochemical Marker for Predicting Oncological Outcomes in Gastric Cancer: A Multi-institutional Study

BACKGROUND

The systemic inflammatory response caused by host-tumor interactions is currently recognized as a hallmark feature of cancer. No study has confirmed which systemic inflammatory factors can accurately predict the progression and long-term prognosis of gastric cancer (GC).

METHODS

Through the analysis of receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), in the discovery cohort, a variety of indicators composed of usual inflammatory factors were compared. Fibrinogen-albumin ratio (FAR), which can accurately predict the long-term survival of GC patients was selected and was further verified in the test cohort and the external validation cohort.

RESULTS

The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under curve (AUC) value of FAR on the overall survival (OS) of GC patients was higher than that of other combined markers (P < 0.01). Patients in the high FAR group showed more advanced pathological stages, larger tumor diameters, and more poorly differentiated pathological type than those in the low FAR group (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis elucidated that, FAR was an independent risk factor for LN metastasis and tumor invasion of GC. High FAR was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis of GC patients. The relationship between FAR and pathological stage of GC and long-term prognosis of patients was verified in the test cohort and the external validation cohort with the same FAR cutoff value. The results are consistent with those of the discovery cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

As a new developed inflammation-related marker, FAR can independently and effectively predict the tumor burden and long-term prognosis of patients with advanced GC.

Prognostic Value of Combined Detection of Preoperative Albumin-to-Fibrinogen Ratio and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Operable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients without Neoadjuvant Therapy

Background

We retrospectively analyzed the prognostic value of the albumin-to-fibrinogen ratio (AFR)–neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) score, comprising preoperative AFR and NLR, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients after radical resection.

Patients and Methods

Overall, 215 patients were included. The optimal cutoff value was determined using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Based on a low AFR (<12.06) and high NLR (≥1.78), the AFR–NLR score was classified as 2 (both hematological abnormalities present), 1 (one abnormality present), or 0 (both abnormalities absent). Kaplan–Meier curves, Cox regression, and predicted nomogram were used to evaluate the prognostic value of the score.

Results

The prognostic value of the AFR–NLR score was better than that of AFR or NLR alone (P <0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that a high AFR–NLR score was an independent predictor of poor prognosis for overall survival (P <0.001). Additionally, in the nomogram including the AFR–NLR score, the net reclassification improvement index increased by 35.5% (P <0.001), and the integrated discrimination improvement index increased by 9.0% (P <0.001). The predictive accuracy of the established nomogram model was proved using Harrell’s concordance index (0.811, 95% confidence interval: 0.765–0.856) and calibration curve. Notably, the decision analysis curve showed that the nomogram had a higher net benefit within most of the threshold probability range, indicating better clinical applicability.

Conclusion

The AFR–NLR score is a useful predictor of the prognosis of ESCC patients after radical resection, and the nomogram established on the basis of this score has a good prognostic value.

Research Progress of Preoperative FPR, FAR or AFR in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Research has confirmed that plasma albumin (Alb), prealbumin (PA) and fibrinogen (Fib) are involved in regulating the occurrence and development of various tumors. Their levels in peripheral blood are related to the survival outcome and treatment response of patients, but the accuracy and specificity of single application have yet to be fully realized. A growing amount of evidence indicates that predictors such as preoperative fibrinogen to prealbumin ratio (FPR), fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR) or albumin to fibrinogen ratio (AFR) are emerging as comprehensive indicators. Indeed, their components play a key regulatory role in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Preoperative FPR, FAR or AFR levels, therefore, are expected to become new biomarkers for prognosis evaluation and curative effect prediction for CRC patients and are significant in the guidance they could provide for the development of individualized treatment strategies.

The Impact of Pretherapeutic Naples Prognostic Score on Survival in Patients with Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Naples prognostic score (NPS) is a scoring system based on albumin, cholesterol concentration, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio reflecting host systemic inflammation, malnutrition, and survival for several malignancies. This study was designed to assess the prognostic significance of NPS in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to compare its prognostic accuracy with that of other systemic inflammatory and nutritional index.

METHODS

We retrospectively examined 165 patients with locally advanced ESCC who underwent neoadjuvant therapy followed by curative resection between January 2011 and September 2019. Patients were divided into three groups based on their NPS before neoadjuvant therapy (Group 0: NPS = 0; Group 1: NPS = 1-2; Group 2: NPS = 3-4). We compared the clinicopathological characteristics and survival rates among the groups.

RESULTS

The 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were significantly different between the groups (P < 0.001). The NPS was superior to other systemic inflammatory and nutritional index for predicting prognoses, as determined using area under the curves (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the NPS was a significant predictor of poor RFS (Group 1: hazard ratio [HR] 1.897, P = 0.049; Group 2: HR 3.979, P < 0.001) and OS (Group 1: HR 2.152, P = 0.033; Group 2: HR 3.239, P = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrated that NPS was an independent prognostic factor in patients with locally advanced ESCC and more reliable and accurate than the other systemic inflammatory and nutritional index.

Pretreatment Albumin-to-Fibrinogen Ratio Independently Predicts Chemotherapy Response and Prognosis in Patients with Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Undergoing Total Mesorectal Excision After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy

Background

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) followed by surgery of total mesorectal excision (TME) is currently accepted as the standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). This study aimed to investigate the potential prognostic factors, including the albumin-to-fibrinogen ratio (AFR) for LARC patients.

Methods

We retrospectively recruited LARC patients (cT3-4 and/or cN1-2) who underwent nCRT followed by TME between January 2011 and January 2015. The cut-off value of pretreatment AFR for overall survival (OS) was determined by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The potential predictive factors for prognosis in the LARC patients were assessed by the univariate and multivariate Cox’s proportional hazard regression and Kaplan–Meier curve analyses.

Results

AFR was a significant predictor for OS with a cut-off value of 8.65 and an AUC of 0.882 (P<0.001). The pretreatment AFR level was the only independent risk factor for pathologic response to nCRT (HR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.43–4.17, P=0.003), 5-year OS (HR: 3.31, 95% CI: 1.51–6.77, P=0.005) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.34–5.47, P=0.007) in LARC patients. A low pretreatment AFR level was significantly associated with a poor 5-year OS and DFS by the Log rank test (P=0.003 and 0.006, respectively).

Conclusion

Pretreatment AFR level was an independent prognostic factor in LARC patients undergoing TME after nCRT.

Prognostic Importance of the Preoperative Naples Prognostic Score for Patients With Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction

Background

The naples prognostic score (NPS) is established according to nutritional or inflammatory state, and it is identified as the new prognostic score for a variety of malignant tumors. However, its significance in cases suffering from adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEJ) who receive surgery remains unclear so far.

Methods

In this study, patients receiving surgery without preoperative therapy were examined between June 2007 and August 2017 in a retrospective way. Typically, the serum albumin level, total cholesterol level, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, together with the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, was determined to calculate the NPS. The prognostic impact of NPS was evaluated using survival analyses. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (t-ROC) analysis was also carried out for comparing prognostic impacts of those scoring systems.

Results

Altogether 231 cases were enrolled in this study. A higher NPS showed positive correlation with perineural invasion. Upon multivariate analysis, NPS was identified to be the independent prognostic factor to predict overall survival (OS) along with relapse-free survival (RFS) (both P< 0.05), and an especially strong correlation was observed at advanced pTNM stages based on NPS system. As for subgroup analyses on adjuvant chemotherapy or surgery only, NPS still independently predicted the OS as well as RFS (both P< 0.05) in both groups. Furthermore, t-ROC analysis showed that NPS was more accurate than the systemic inflammation score in predicting OS and RFS.

Conclusions

The NPS represents the simple and useful rating system, which can independently predict the survival for AEJ cases undergoing surgery.

Novel Prognostic Scores Based on Plasma Prothrombin Time and Fibrinogen Levels in Patients With AFP-Negative Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Noninvasive tools for the prognosis of α-fetoprotein negative hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are urgently needed. The present study proposed a prognostic system based on preoperative plasma prothrombin time and fibrinogen (PT/Fbg system). With respect to α-fetoprotein (AFP)-negative HCC, we compared the prognostic value in PT/Fbg system, Glasgow Prognostic Score, and aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase ratio. The present study retrospectively analyzed patient characteristics, clinicopathological factors, and the level of pretreatment biomarkers in 628 patients with HCC. Patients with increased PT and Fbg levels were allocated a score of 2, patients with only one of these abnormalities were assigned score 1, and patients with neither of these abnormalities were allocated a score of 0. The following distributions of the PT/Fbg system scores were observed: 187 (29.78%) patients had a score of 0, 305 (30.65%) had a score of 1, and 134 (22.69%) patients had a preoperative score of 2. The prognostic significance of the PT/Fbg system was determined using univariate and multivariate Cox hazard analyses in AFP-negative HCC. Multivariate analysis revealed that patients with a higher PT/Fbg system exhibited worse overall survival (OS) than patients with a lower PT/Fbg system. Our study proposes preoperative evaluation of the plasma PT/Fbg system to predict the OS of patients with AFP-negative HCC.

Prognostic Value of Cumulative Score Based on Preoperative Fibrinogen and Albumin Level in Skull Base Chordoma

Objective

Inflammation and malnutrition have been shown to be correlated with tumor progression and a poor prognosis in various cancers. However, the clinical implications of biomarkers of inflammation and malnutrition in chordoma have not been elucidated. We attempted to characterize the fibrinogen and albumin levels in skull base chordoma and investigate their correlations with clinicopathological data and survival.

Methods

The preoperative levels of fibrinogen and albumin were assessed in 183 primary skull base chordoma patients. The cutoff values were determined by X-tile software, and their correlations with patient prognosis were further explored using the Kaplan–Meier curve and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. In addition, the predictive performances of these markers in survival were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves.

Results

The values of fibrinogen and albumin in skull base chordoma patients ranged from 1.73 to 7.40 and 37.6 to 53.0 g/L, respectively. The optimal cutoff values for fibrinogen and albumin were 3.29 and 44.60 g/L, respectively. Fibrinogen and albumin were correlated with the patient age and tumor pathology types. Albumin, but not fibrinogen, was associated with the patients’ progression-free survival and overall survival. Importantly, the FA score, which combines fibrinogen and albumin, could independently predict both progression-free survival and overall survival, and enhanced the performance of fibrinogen or albumin in survival prediction in skull base chordoma.

Conclusion

Our data reveal the clinical prognostic role of albumin and suggest that the FA score may be a valuable prognostic grading system in skull base chordoma.

Validation Study of Fibrinogen and Albumin Score in Esophageal Cancer Patients Who Underwent Esophagectomy: Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study

PURPOSE

To arrange multidisciplinary treatment for esophageal cancer, a simple and accurate predictive marker for prognosis is required. The current multicenter prospective study aims to validate the prognostic significance of fibrinogen and albumin score (FA score) for esophageal cancer patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients who were planned to undergo surgical resection for esophageal cancer at four participating institutions were enrolled in this study. Patient background, clinicopathological factors, and blood concentration of plasma fibrinogen and albumin were collected. Patients with elevated fibrinogen and decreased albumin levels were allocated a score of 2; those with only one of these abnormalities were allocated a score of 1; and those with neither of these abnormalities were allocated a score of 0. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated as a primary endpoint.

RESULTS

From four participating institutions, 133 patients were registered for the current analysis. The distribution of FA score of 0/1/2 was 84 (63%)/34 (26%)/15 (11%), respectively. In the analysis of primary endpoint, the preoperative FA score significantly classified RFS (FA score 1/2: HR 2.546, p = 0.013/6.989, p < 0.001) and OS (FA score 1/2: HR 2.756, p = 0.010/6.970, p < 0.001). We further evaluated the prognostic significance of FA score under stratification by pStage. As a result, with increasing FA score, RFS and OS were significantly worse in both pStage 0-I and II-IV groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The prognostic impact of preoperative FA score was confirmed for esophageal cancer patients in the current multicenter prospective trial. FA score can be considered to predict postoperative survival and rearrange the treatment strategy before esophagectomy.

Clinical significance of preoperative serum concentrations of interleukin-6 as a prognostic marker in patients with esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

Although the clinical outcome of esophageal cancer has recently improved, the relapse rate remains high for all disease stages. At present, there is no diagnostic method to predict the long-term outcome for esophageal cancer. In this study, we evaluated serum preoperative proinflammatory cytokine levels and investigated the correlation between preoperative interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 levels and survival of patients with esophageal cancer.

METHODS

Between 2008 and 2015, we evaluated preoperative serum cytokine levels in 122 patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Serum IL-6 and IL-8 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. We investigated the relationship between serum cytokine levels and the response to chemotherapy and survival.

RESULTS

The preoperative IL-6 levels were significantly associated with shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS, p = 0.001) and overall survival (OS, p = 0.001) after esophagectomy. Higher IL-8 levels were significantly associated with RFS (p = 0.018). In the multivariate analysis, age, preoperative chemotherapy, lymph node metastasis, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and serum IL-6 levels (hazard ratio (HR), 2.888; p = 0.049) were significantly independent prognostic factors of RFS. Additionally, age, pathological stage, and serum IL-6 levels (HR, 3.247; p = 0.027) were shown to be significantly independent prognostic factors of OS. Serum IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the non-responder group (pathological response pGrade0 and pGrade1) after neoadjuvant therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

High preoperative serum IL-6 levels are associated with a poor response to chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy and poor prognosis after esophagectomy. Preoperative serum IL-6 levels may be a useful independent prognostic marker for esophageal cancer patients.

Prognostic significance of preoperative plasma fibrinogen levels in primary gastrointestinal stromal tumours: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Improved prediction of prognosis for gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) has become increasingly important since the introduction of targeted therapy. Here, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of preoperative plasma fibrinogen (Fib) levels in patients with primary GISTs and to analyse their correlations with clinicopathological characteristics.

METHODS

A total of 201 previously untreated patients with primary GISTs who had undergone radical surgery at our institution between October 2004 and July 2018 were enrolled. The optimal cut-off value for Fib levels was calculated using time-dependent receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. RFS, the primary endpoint, was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were calculated.

RESULTS

High preoperative plasma Fib levels were detected as an independent adverse prognostic factor (p = 0.008, hazard ratio 3.136, 95% CI 1.356‒7.256). Furthermore, high preoperative plasma Fib levels also indicated a poor prognosis within the modified National Institutes of Health (mNIH) high-risk subgroup (p = 0.041). In addition, preoperative plasma Fib levels showed a positive correlation with several prognostic factors and even a linear relationship with tumour size (Spearman correlation coefficient [r] = 0.411, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that high preoperative plasma Fib levels may indicate a poor prognosis in patients with primary GISTs. As a cost-effective biomarker, preoperative assessment of plasma Fib levels may help to further risk stratify patients with mNIH high-risk GISTs and instruct the application of targeted therapy.

The predictive value of the preoperative fibrinogen-albumin ratio on the postoperative prognosis of renal cell carcinoma

Background

Urologists urgently need a simple, effective, accurate clinical biomarker to identify renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients with poor prognosis and those with a high risk of recurrence as early as possible. Therefore, we investigated the prognostic value of the preoperative fibrinogen-albumin ratio (FAR) in patients with RCC.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed data from 279 cases of renal cancer admitted to the First Hospital of Peking University from 2010 to 2012. The best cutoff value of the FAR was obtained using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and patients were divided into high- and low-FAR groups. The correlation between the preoperative FAR and clinicopathological features was analyzed by χ² test. Log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard regression model were used to evaluate the predictive value of clinicopathological parameters for overall survival (OS).

Results

The best cutoff value for the FAR was 0.116. A FAR >0.116 was associated with higher Fuhrman grade (P<0.0001) and later pathological T stage (P<0.0001). Patients with a high FAR (>0.116) had worse OS [hazard ratio (HR) 10.497, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.263–33.766, P<0.0001]. In multivariate analysis, the FAR was an independent risk factor for OS (HR 5.047, 95% CI: 2.109–12.076, P=0.003). Moreover, in Fuhrman grade I–II patients, the FAR could distinguish patients with worse prognosis (P<0.0001).

Conclusions

The preoperative FAR is an independent prognostic factor of OS in renal cancer patients. A FAR >0.116 was significantly related to decreased survival in renal cancer patients.

Preoperative squamous cell carcinoma antigen and albumin serum levels predict the survival of patients with stage T1-3N0M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective observational study

Background

This study aimed to explore the significance of preoperative levels of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) and albumin on the cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with stage T1-3N0M0 in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC).

Methods

The data of 308 patients who underwent esophagectomy between 1996 and 2011 were analyzed. SCC-Ag and albumin levels were measure 1 week before surgery. The optimal cutoff levels of SCC-Ag and albumin were determined using the X-Tile software, which were 1.0 μg/L and 39.8 g/L, respectively. The associations between SCC-Ag and albumin levels and clinicopathological characteristics were assessed using the χ² test, Student’s t-test and Fisher’s exact test. Cox univariable and multivariable analyses were computed to identify SCC-Ag and albumin levels as independent prognostic factors related to the CSS of patients with ESCC. We used the Kaplan-Meier survival curve to determine the significance of SCC-Ag and albumin level on ESCC in the long-term follow-up.

Results

The 5-year CSS rate for the entire cohort was 65.0%. There was a significant difference in CSS between the low and high SCC-Ag level groups (hazard ratio [HR], 1.828, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.203–2.778; P = 0.005). Patients with ESCC with low albumin level had a worse CSS than those with high albumin level (HR, 0.540; 95% CI, 0.348–0.838; P = 0.006). Patients with both high SCC-Ag and low albumin levels had worse 5-year CSS than patients with low SCC-Ag and high albumin levels (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Preoperative serum SCC-Ag and albumin levels can predict survival in patients ESCC with stage T1-3N0M0. Patients with ESCC with high SCC-Ag and low albumin levels may have a poor survival outcome.

The prevalence of cancer associated systemic inflammation: Implications of prognostic studies using the Glasgow Prognostic Score

The prognostic importance of SIR in patients with cancer is widely recognised. More recently it has become clear that the systemic inflammatory response is an important etiologic factor in the development of cancer cachexia. Two recent meta-analysis carried out in 2017 and 2018 were interrogated and the number of patients with specific cancer types were identified. The percentage of patients with operable cancer (n>28,000) who were systemically inflamed varied from 21% to 38%. The percentage of patients with inoperable cancer (n>12,000) who were systemically inflamed varied from 29% to 79%. Overall, the percentage of patients (n>40,000) who were systemically inflamed varied from 28% to 63% according to tumour type. The most commonly studied cancer was colorectal cancer (n∼10,000 patients) and 40% were systemically inflamed.

Pretreatment Geriatric Assessments of Elderly Patients with Glioma: Development and Implications

Glioma is the most frequent primary brain tumor affecting adults, and the most lethal type is glioblastoma (GBM); currently, the available therapies only provide palliation. The treatments for low-grade glioma (LGG) include neurosurgical resection, watchful waiting, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, while the therapeutic strategies for high-grade glioma (HGG), particularly in elderly patients, have evolved to include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted monotherapy based on the characteristics of the investigated patients. Proper assessments aiming to predict and achieve the most satisfying prognosis among patients prior to surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy help summarize the pretreatment characteristics of patients, providing doctors comprehensive information to consider while determining whether the patients could benefit from ongoing treatments and deciding the proper treatment strategy for subsequent phases. This article aims to rigorously review the most recent evidence and discuss current mainstream assessments before the initiation of proper treatments for glioma, thus highlighting the potential necessity of pretreatment assessments.

Clinical characteristics of malignant melanoma in central China and predictors of metastasis

Cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM) is the most malignant type of all skin neoplasms. There is wide variability in the characteristics of MM between patients of different races. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with MM in central China and to assess the value of specific hematological and biochemical indices for predicting metastasis. The data of 167 patients with MM from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (Henan, China) were retrospectively analyzed and compared with the data of patients with MM available from cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics. Following analysis of the clinicopathological characteristics of the 167 patients, the median overall survival time was 50 months, and the median disease-free survival time was 35 months. Albumin/D-dimer prognosis score (ADPS), lactate dehydrogenase, sex, T stage, tumor-node-metastasis stage, Breslow thickness, Clark level, histological type, growth phase, ulceration and metastasis were all significantly associated with prognosis. An ADPS of <341.01 was identified as an independent predictor of metastasis. The trial registration no. is 2018-LW-037 and this clinical trial was registered in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University Clinical Trial Registry in March 1, 2018.

Fibrinogen and Albumin Score Changes during Preoperative Treatment Can Predict Prognosis in Patients with Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

Background

Fibrinogen (Fib) and albumin (Alb) levels are indicators of systemic inflammatory responses. Elevated Fib and decreased Alb levels are considered negative prognostic factors in different types of cancer. Here, we explored the prognostic value of changes in pre- and post- neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin (FA) scores in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).

Methods

A total of 106 patients with LARC who underwent NCRT followed by surgical resection at Jinhua Municipal Central Hospital between 2011 and 2015 were analyzed. In addition, plasma Fib and serum Alb levels before and after NCRT were collected. FA scores were calculated based on the Fib and Alb levels dichotomized by clinical reference values. Patients were classified into two groups based on the changes in FA scores during NCRT: in group A, FA scores decreased or remained unchanged (n = 84), and in group B, FA scores increased (n = 22). Changes in FA scores were compared with patient outcomes.

Results

Increased FA scores were associated with worse disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with LARC. The occurrence of systemic failure was higher in group B than in group A (40.9% vs. 19%, P = 0.032). In multivariate analysis, changes in FA scores, pretreatment carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels, and pathologic differentiation were independent prognostic parameters for DFS and changes in FA scores and pretreatment CEA levels were independent prognostic parameters for OS.

Conclusions

Increased FA score after NCRT was an independent negative prognostic factor for DFS and OS in patients with NCRT-treated LARC.

Nomogram-Integrated C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio Predicts Efficacy And Prognosis In Patients With Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Receiving Chemoradiotherapy

Objective

To investigate the therapeutic effect and survival outcome using nomogram by incorporating significant inflammatory markers in patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who received chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or single radiotherapy (RT).

Method

A total of 266 patients diagnosed with thoracic ESCC receiving standard curative RT only or concurrent CRT were retrospectively analysed. The patients were grouped for statistical analysis depending on the median values of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and C-reactive protein/albumin (CRP/Alb) ratio. The therapeutic effect was analysed by univariate and multivariate logistic analyses. The survival prognosis was estimated by univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. At last, the nomogram was developed by incorporating the significant inflammatory markers and clinicopathological parameters, and the predictive value was verified by calibration curve, concordance index (C-index) and decision curve.

Results

The treatment responses were highly associated with clinical stage, tumor location, NLR, PLR and CRP/Alb ratio (all P<0.05) by univariate logistic analysis. However, in the multivariate logistic analysis, the results showed that only CRP/Alb ratio (P=0.000) and TNM stage (P=0.008) were independent risk parameters for tumour response. In addition, NLR, PLR, CRP/Alb ratio, age and TNM stage were significantly associated with OS by the univariate Cox analysis (all P<0.05). Furthermore, the multivariate Cox analysis showed that only CRP/Alb ratio (P=0.000), TNM stage (P=0.000) and age (P=0.001) were considered independent prognostic factors for OS. Finally, the calibration curves of nomogram were highly consistent with actual observation for the therapeutic effect and prognosis, and the decision curve analysis showed more potential of clinical benefit of the nomogram compared with TNM staging system.

Conclusion

This research found that nomogram-integrated CRP/Alb ratio was promising as a predictive model for the therapeutic effect and survival outcome in patients with thoracic ESCC receiving CRT or single RT.

Clinical Significance of Serum CA125, CA19-9, CA72-4, and Fibrinogen-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Gastric Cancer With Peritoneal Dissemination

Background: Relevant serum tumor markers have been indicated to be associated with peritoneal dissemination (PD) of gastric cancer (GC). Fibrinogen has been shown to play an important role in the systemic inflammatory response (SIR) and in tumor progression. However, the clinical significance of the fibrinogen-to-lymphocyte ratio (FLR) in GC with PD has not been studied.

Methods: The clinical data of 391 patients with GC were collected, including 86 cases of PD. Then, 1:3 matching was performed by propensity score matching (PSM), and the clinical data of the matched 344 patients were analyzed by univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression. Classification tree analysis was used to obtain the decision rules and a random forest algorithm to extract the important risk factors of PD in GC. A nomogram model for risk assessment of PD in GC was established by using the rms package of R software.

Results: Univariate analysis showed that the factors related to PD in GC were: carbohydrate antigen (CA) 125 (P < 0.0001), CA19-9 (P < 0.0001), CA72-4 (P < 0.0001), FLR (P < 0.0001), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (P < 0.0001), albumin-to- lymphocyte ratio (ALR) (P < 0.0001), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (P = 0.013), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (P = 0.031). Conditional logistic regression found that CA125 (OR: 1.046; P < 0.0001), CA19-9 (OR: 1.002; P < 0.0001), and FLR (OR: 1.266; P = 0.024) were independent risk factors for GC with PD. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the decision rules for detecting PD of GC were 89.5, 77.4, 94.0, 82.8, and 91.8%, respectively. According to the important variables identified by the classification tree and random forest algorithm, the risk assessment model of PD in GC was established. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the model were 91, 89.5, and 79.5%, respectively.

Conclusion: CA125 > 17.3 U/ml, CA19-9 > 27.315 U/ml, and FLR > 2.555 were the risk factors for GC with PD. The decision rules and nomogram model constructed by CA125, CA19-9, CA72-4, and FLR can correctly predict the risk of PD in GC.

The prognostic value of pretreatment Glasgow Prognostic Score in patients with esophageal cancer: a meta-analysis

Objectives

To examine the predictive role of Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) on long-term survival in esophageal cancer.

Method

Comprehensive searches of electronic databases were performed to identify potential studies that evaluated the prognostic value of pretreatment GPS in esophageal cancer patients. We combined the hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the association of GPS with overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS).

Results

A total of 21 studies including 6115 patients were analyzed. Compared with patients with GPS 0, patients with elevated GPS had poorer OS (HR =2.12, 95% CI: 1.83–2.45, P<0.001) and CSS (HR =2.16, 95% CI: 1.56–2.98, P<0.001); but no significant relationship was observed between the elevated GPS and DFS (HR=2.14, 95% CI:1.00–4.61, P=0.051). Subgroup analysis outcomes were similar to overall analyses.

Conclusion

Pretreatment GPS could serve as a valuable factor in predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer. More well-designed prospective studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

Fibrinogen-Albumin Ratio Index (FARI): A More Promising Inflammation-Based Prognostic Marker for Patients Undergoing Hepatectomy for Colorectal Liver Metastases

BACKGROUND

Systemic inflammation response is involved in the development and progression of cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of a preoperative Fibrinogen-Albumin Ratio Index (FARI) in patients undergoing hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) and compare it with established systemic inflammation markers, including the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-monocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, and systemic immune-inflammation index.

METHODS

Patients who underwent hepatectomy for CRLM between November 2002 and December 2016 were considered for inclusion. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to evaluate the ability of markers in predicting survival. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors for overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS).

RESULTS

A total of 452 consecutive patients were enrolled. The areas under the ROC curve of the FARI in predicting OS and DFS were superior to other inflammatory markers and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The optimal cut-off value of the FARI was 7.6%. Patients with a high FARI (> 7.6%) showed significantly decreased OS and DFS (all p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, the FARI was the only inflammatory marker that independently predicted OS and DFS. Additionally, regardless of patients having a high or low CEA, the FARI further stratified these patients into subgroups with significantly distinct OS and DFS (all p < 0.05). The FARI also showed good clinical utility in patients with different clinical characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

A preoperative FARI is an independent predictor of OS and DFS for patients undergoing hepatectomy for CRLM, superior to the established systemic inflammation markers and CEA.

Systemic inflammation score is a prognostic marker after curative resection in gastric cancer

Background

The systemic inflammation score (SIS), as calculated from preoperative serum albumin level and lymphocyte‐to‐monocyte ratio, has been demonstrated to be a prognostic marker in cancer. The present study intended to investigate the prognostic role of SIS in gastric cancer patients after curative gastrectomy in comparison with other prognostic markers.

Methods

Preoperative SIS was retrospectively calculated in patients who underwent curative gastrectomy between 2007 and 2011 in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. The prognostic accuracy of each score was compared utilizing time‐dependent receiver operating characteristics analysis.

Results

The higher SIS score was associated with older age, larger tumour size, a more advanced tumour‐nodes‐metastasis stage and lymph node status, deeper tumour invasion, the presence of lymphovascular invasion and a poorer overall survival and disease‐free survival. In time‐dependent receiver operating characteristics analysis, the SIS had a higher area under the curve for the prediction of 5‐year overall survival than the neutrophil lymphocyte ratio. The SIS maintained the predictive accuracy superiority throughout the observation period.

Conclusion

The SIS is a useful prognostic marker in gastric cancer patients after curative gastrectomy.

A novel scoring system based on hemostatic parameters predicts the prognosis of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of pre-treatment plasma hemostatic parameters in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

A total of 320 patients diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer between January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015 were enrolled in this retrospective study. The prognostic significance of hemostatic parameters such as prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FBG), platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), plateletcrit (PCT), and platelet distribution width (PDW) was determined by univariate and multivariate Cox hazard models. Then, Kaplan-Meier methods and log-rank tests were performed to compare the survival of patients in different risk groups.

RESULT

Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that prolonged PT, high FBG, and high MPV were independent prognostic factors for poor overall survival (PT > 11.3 s, HR = 1.46, 95%CI = 1.10-1.94, p = 0.009; FBG>2.5 g/L, HR = 1.41, 95%CI = 1.08-1.84, p = 0.011; MPV>12.2 fL, HR = 1.52, 95%CI = 1.13-2.04, p = 0.005). Moreover, all the patients were stratified into three groups by a scoring system based on these three hemostatic markers. The median survival time of the three groups was 8.8 months, 6.3 months and 4.3 months (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

PT, FBG and MPV were independent prognostic factors in advanced pancreatic cancer. A novel scoring system based on these hemostatic parameters could be used to predict the survival of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

A novel inflammation-based prognostic index for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio/prealbumin ratio

NLR/Alb (neutrophil lymphocyte ratio/albumin ratio), is a prognostic index for esophageal cancer has been confirmed. Prealbumin (PA) is more sensitive to malnutrition than albumin. A new prognostic index, named neutrophil lymphocyte ratio/prealbumin ratio (NLR/PA), for predicting the survival time in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) was proposed.A retrospective study of 315 cases with ESCC was enrolled. The optimal cut-off values were evaluated by ROC curve (the receiver operating characteristics curve). Pearson correlation analyses were used to calculate the correlations among NLR, Alb, NLR/Alb and NLR/PA. The overall survival (OS) was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic factors.The optimal cut-off value was 0.01 for NLR/PA according to ROC curve. According to multivariate analyses, TNM stage, NLR, NLR/Alb, NLR/PA were prognostic factors for OS. The AUC area (the area under the receiver operating characteristics curves) of the NLR/PA was higher than the areas of NLR and NLR/Alb for all the patients. The index of NLR/ PA had a higher AUC area than that of the index of NLR or NLR/Alb for patients in stage I-II. But in stage III-IVA, the index of NLR had a higher AUC area than that of the index of NLR/PA or NLR/Alb.The index of NLR/PA is superior to the index of NLR as a prognostic indicator for patients with early stage (stage I-II) ESCC.

High preoperative plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin score is associated with poor survival in operable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

This study was performed to investigate the prognostic significance of a cumulative score based on the preoperative plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin (FA score) in operable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Clinicopathologic characteristics, preoperative fibrinogen, and albumin concentrations were retrospectively reviewed in patients who underwent transthoracic esophagectomy. The optimal cutoff value was defined as 4.0 g/L for fibrinogen according to previous studies and as 41.0 g/L for albumin for the lower quartile. Subjects with elevated fibrinogen and decreased albumin levels were allocated a score of 2, those with only one of these two abnormalities were assigned a score of 1, and those with neither of the abnormalities were allocated a score of 0. The preoperative FA score was significantly associated with tumor length, depth of invasion, lymph node involvement, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS). No significant differences in age, gender, tumor location, degree of differentiation, smoking or alcohol consumption were found between groups. Univariate survival analysis revealed that high preoperative FA score (1/2) was significantly associated with unfavorable disease-free survival (DFS) [hazard ratio (HR), 1.675; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.278-2.195; P < 0.001] and overall survival (OS) (HR, 1.685; 95% CI, 1.268-2.239; P < 0.001). Furthermore, it remained an independent prognostic indicator for both DFS (HR, 1.394; 95% CI, 1.035-1.879; P = 0.029) and OS (HR, 1.369; 95% CI, 1.010-1.878; P = 0.048) in multivariable Cox regression analysis. A high preoperative FA score could significantly predict impaired long-term survival for ESCC patients who underwent transthoracic esophagectomy.

The Fibrinogen to Mean Platelet Volume Ratio Can Predict Overall Survival of Patients with Non-Metastatic Gastric Cancer

Purpose

Fibrinogen and platelets have been reported to play important roles in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. The aim of this research was to investigate the combination of functions of fibrinogen, platelets, and mean platelet volume (MPV) in predicting the survival of patients with gastric cancer (GC).

Materials and Methods

A retrospective study was conducted with 1,946 patients with GC and 299 patients with benign gastric tumor to analyze their fibrinogen, platelet, and MPV levels, and other clinicopathological characteristics along with their prognoses. Several indicators were evaluated along with fibrinogen, platelets, and MPV and their prognostic abilities were assessed. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were conducted to determine the independent risk factors for overall survival.

Results

Increased levels of fibrinogen, platelets, and MPV were observed with the progress of the GC stages. Elevated fibrinogen, platelets, and the combined indicators, including fibrinogen*MPV (FM), platelet*fibrinogen*MPV (PFM), fibrinogen/MPV (FMR), platelet*fibrinogen (PF), platelet*fibrinogen/MPV (PFMR), platelet*MPV (PM), and platelet/MPV (PMR), foreboded poor prognosis. Meanwhile fibrinogen and FMR can be considered as independent risk factors for overall survival in patients with non-metastatic GC. But these indicators can hardly predict survival of patients in stage IV.

Conclusions

Elevated fibrinogen, platelets, and MPV levels were in accordance with advanced stages, and fibrinogen, platelet, and MPV, in combination, can be used to predict survival of patients with non-metastatic GC. FMR was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of patients with GC.

Fibrinogen is associated with EGFR mutation status and lymphatic metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer

In the previous decade, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have demonstrated significant effects in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. However, sufficient tumor tissue for genetic testing cannot always be obtained in clinical settings. The present study evaluated whether fibrinogen may assist in predicting the EFGR mutation status in patients with NSCLC. Between January 2010 to December 2013, 303 patients with NSCLC underwent EGFR mutation testing. Plasma fibrinogen was acquired prior to treatment, and the associations between fibrinogen, EGFR mutation status and clinical features were assessed. A multivariate analysis and a receiver operator characteristic curve analysis were performed to identify the potential value of fibrinogen in predicting EGFR mutation status. The proportion of patients with hyperfibrinogenemia was significantly higher in N2 and N3 stages compared with N0 and N1 stages, 45.2 and 56.5 vs. 29.2 and 36.0%, respectively (P=0.001), and higher in the M1 stage compared with the M0 stage, 47.9 vs. 35.2%, respectively (P=0.025) (Stages according to the American Joint Committee of Cancer, 7th edition). Plasma fibrinogen levels were significantly lower in patients with EGFR mutations compared with the wild-type EGFR gene, 2.95 g/l (range, 0.84 −8.61 g/l) vs. 3.57 g/l (range, 1.38–7.44 g/l), respectively (P<0.001). In the multivariate analysis, logistic regression was utilized and the fibrinogen odds ratio (OR), 2.5, confidence intervals (CI) 1.53–4.51 (P<0.001) and smoking status OR 5.07, CI 3.01–8.53 (P<0.001), for which the area under the curve was 0.75, were revealed to be independent predictive factors. Hyperfibrinogenemia is associated with metastasis of the distant organs, but also metastasis of the lymphatic tissue. In addition, a multivariate model based on fibrinogen and smoking history may be used as a predictive marker of EGFR mutation status in patients with NSCLC.

Prognostic value of the fibrinogen/albumin ratio (FAR) in patients with operable soft tissue sarcoma

Background

Coagulation and nutrition play important roles in cancer progression. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the prognostic value of the preoperative fibrinogen/albumin ratio (FAR) in surgical patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and to compare this value with other inflammatory biomarkers. In addition, we investigated the relationship between FAR and the clinicopathological characteristics of STS patients.

Methods

We included 310 STS patients in this retrospective study. Kaplan-Meier curves, univariate and multivariate Cox proportional models were used in the prognostic analyses.

Results

According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the optimal FAR cut-off value was 0.0726. The FAR exhibited a greater area under the curve (AUC) value (0.680) than did the NLR and PLR. An elevated FAR (≥0.0726) was significantly associated with an old age, large tumor size, deep tumor location, high tumor grade, and advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage.

Patients with an increased FAR had a shorter median survival time and a lower 5-year overall survival (OS) rate than did those with a low FAR (61.0 vs115.8 months, P < 0.001; 56.7% vs 82.4%, P < 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis indicated FAR (Hazard ratio (HR) 1.907, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.161–3.132, P < 0.001) to be an independent prognostic factor for OS, as were tumor depth, grade and PLR.

Conclusions

Preoperative FAR is associated with tumor progression and can be considered an independent factor for OS of resected STS patients.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-018-4856-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prognostic Impact of Change in the Fibrinogen and Albumin Score During Preoperative Treatment in Esophageal Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND

For resectable advanced esophageal cancer, a transthoracic esophagectomy following preoperative treatment is recognized as one of the standard treatments. Therefore, predictive markers which can be identified before surgery need to be established to identify patients with a poor prognosis.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 102 consecutive patients who underwent curative transthoracic esophagectomy following preoperative treatment in our institution between 2004 and 2013. Based on plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin levels, the pretreatment and preoperative fibrinogen and albumin score (FA score) were investigated and the prognostic significance of the FA score change was compared with RECIST.

RESULTS

The patients were classified according to whether the FA score had remained unchanged or decreased (n = 77) or the FA score increased (n = 25). When the correlation between the response rate and change in the FA score was investigated, the response rate was significantly lower in the group with the increased FA score. In the survival analysis, patients in the increased FA score group exhibited a significantly worse recurrence-free survival (RFS) (P = 0.038). A multivariate analysis using the clinical stage and the change in the FA score as covariates revealed that a change in the FA score (HR 1.802; P = 0.047; 95% CI 1.008-3.221) was shown to be a significant independent predictive factor for RFS.

CONCLUSIONS

A change in the FA score was shown to be an independent prognostic factor for postoperative recurrence in esophageal cancer patients who have undergone transthoracic esophagectomy following preoperative treatment.

Evaluation of cumulative prognostic score based on pretreatment plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin levels in patients with newly diagnosed high-grade gliomas

This retrospective study was designed to determine the prognostic value of a cumulative score (FA score) based on pretreatment plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin levels for 326 patients newly diagnosed high-grade glioma (HGG). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal cut-off values. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to evaluate the independent prognostic value of the FA scores associated with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The optimal cut-off values were 2.815 g/L for fibrinogen and 43.65 g/L for albumin. PFS and OS were significantly worse for patients with higher FA scores. Patients with elevated fibrinogen level and decreased albumin levels had 3.00-fold higher risk of tumor progression and had a 3.23-fold higher risk of death compared with those with normal values. Multivariate analysis demonstrated FA score was an independent predictive factor for PFS and OS. Moreover, PFS and OS were better for the patients with lower FA score, either in patients with grade III or IV gliomas. These findings indicated that the pretreatment FA score could serve as a simple and noninvasive marker to predict the prognosis of patients with HGG.

Using a nomogram based on preoperative serum fibrinogen levels to predict recurrence of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Background

Hyperfibrinogenemia is increasingly being recognized as an important risk factor related to cancer stage, development and outcomes. We evaluated whether preoperative serum fibrinogen levels predict recurrence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Methods

We retrospectively collected data for 1023 PTC patients who underwent surgery at our institution from Aug 2014 to Aug 2016. In total, 414 patients (from Aug 2014 to Dec 2015) were used as the training set to build the model, and 609 patients (from Jan 2016 to Aug 2016) were used as the testing set to validate the model.

Results

In the training set, PTC cases with high serum fibrinogen levels were more likely to have multiple PTCs (P = 0.001) and to exhibit surrounding tissue or organ invasion (both P < 0.01). Moreover, PTC patients with higher serum fibrinogen levels were also more likely to have an advanced tumor stage (T, P = 0.001) and distance metastasis (P < 0.001), and these patients had a significantly higher rate of postoperative PTC recurrence (P = 0.002). All of these findings were validated in the testing set. The results of univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that hyperfibrinogenemia was a risk factor for PTC recurrence. The identified risk factors were incorporated into a nomogram and validated using the testing set (C-index = 0.811, 95% CI: 0.762–0.871).

Conclusion

PTC cases with hyperfibrinogenemia are more likely to have an advanced TNM stage and have a higher rate of PTC recurrence. Our nomogram could be used to objectively and accurately predict PTC recurrence in a clinical setting.

The preoperative sensitive-modified Glasgow prognostic score is superior to the modified Glasgow prognostic score in predicting long-term survival for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The present study was designed to investigate the prognostic significance of the preoperative sensitive-modified Glasgow prognostic score (S-mGPS) and its superiority in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Clinicopathologic characteristics, preoperative albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were retrospectively collected in 442 patients who underwent transthoracic esophagectomy. The S-mGPS was calculated before surgery based on optimal cutoff values of 45.6 g/L for albumin and 10.0 mg/L for CRP. 360, 74 and 8 cases were assigned an mGPS of 0, 1 and 2, respectively. In contrast, the S-mGPS was 0 in 114, 1 in 258 and 2 in 70 patients. Of the 360 patients with an mGPS of 0, 246 migrated to the S-mGPS-1 group. Both mGPS and S-mGPS were significantly correlated with tumor length, depth of invasion, pathological tumor-node-metastasis (pTNM) stage and adjuvant treatment. In addition, they were significantly associated with disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in univariate analysis. Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression analysis identified S-mGPS as an independent prognostic indicator for both DFS [hazard ratio (HR), 1.577; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.149-2.163; P = 0.005] and OS (HR, 1.762; 95% CI, 1.250-2.484; P = 0.001), but not mGPS (HR, 0.957; 95% CI, 0.692-1.323; P = 0.790 for DFS and HR, 1.089; 95% CI, 0.781-1.517; P = 0.615 for OS, respectively). Moreover, subgroup analysis revealed that the prognostic impact of the S-mGPS was especially striking in pTNM stage II patients. The preoperative S-mGPS is superior to the mGPS as a prognostic predictor in patients with resectable ESCC.

Cumulative score based on preoperative plasma fibrinogen and serum C-reactive protein could predict long-term survival for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The present study was to establish a prognostic indicator based on preoperative fibrinogen and C-reactive protein (CRP) (FC score) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Clinicopathologic characteristics, preoperative plasma fibrinogen and serum CRP levels were reviewed in patients who underwent transthoracic esophagectomy. The optimal cut-off value for fibrinogen and CRP was defined as 4.0 g/dL and 10.0 mg/L according to previous reports. Patients with elevated fibrinogen and CRP levels were assigned a score of 2, those with only one of these two abnormalities were allocated a score of 1, and those with neither of the two abnormalities were assigned a score of 0. Preoperative FC score was significantly correlated with degree of differentiation, depth of invasion, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS). No significant differences in age, gender, tumor length, tumor location, lymph node status or smoking were identified between groups. Univariate survival analysis demonstrated that high preoperative FC score (1/2) was significantly associated with impaired disease free survival (DFS) [hazard ratio (HR), 1.650; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.181-2.303; P = 0.003] and overall survival (OS) (HR, 1.879; 95% CI, 1.333-2.648; P<0.001), and it remained an independent predictor for both DFS (HR, 1.468; 95% CI, 1.043-2.067; P=0.028) and OS (HR, 2.070; 95% CI, 1.266-3.385; P=0.004) in multivariate Cox regression analysis. Preoperative FC score might represent a new potential marker of worst prognosis that warrants further evaluation in prospective and large cohort studies among ESCC patients who underwent transthoracic esophagectomy.