The Prognostic Significance Of Pretreatment Albumin/alkaline Phosphatase Ratio In Patients With Stage IB-IIA Cervical Cancer

Preoperative albumin-alkaline phosphatase ratio affects the prognosis of patients undergoing hepatocellular carcinoma surgery

BACKGROUND

The correlation between the preoperative albuminalkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after radical resection is still not comprehensive.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to observe the correlation between preoperative AAPR and the prognosis of HCC patients after radical resection.

METHODS

We constructed a retrospective cohort study and included 656 HCC patients who underwent radical resection. The patients were grouped after determining an optimum AAPR cut-off value. We used the Cox proportional regression model to assess the correlation between preoperative AAPR and the prognosis of HCC patients after radical resection.

RESULTS

The optimal cut-off value of AAPR for assessing the prognosis of HCC patients after radical resection was 0.52 which was acquired by using X-tile software. Kaplan-Meier analysis curves showed that a low AAPR (⩽ 0.52) had a significantly lower rate of overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (P< 0.05). Multiple Cox proportional regression showed that an AAPR > 0.52 was a protective factor for OS (HR = 0.66, 95%CI 0.45-0.97, p= 0.036) and RFS (HR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.53-0.92, p= 0.011).

CONCLUSIONS

The preoperative AAPR level was related to the prognosis of HCC patients after radical resection and can be used as a routine preoperative test, which is important for early detection of high-risk patients and taking personalized adjuvant treatment.

Prognostic significance of index (LANR) composed of preoperative lymphocytes, albumin, and neutrophils in patients with stage IB-IIA cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of preoperative lymphocytes, albumin, neutrophils, and LANR in the prognosis of patients with stage IB-IIA cervical cancer (CC).

METHODS

We made a retrospective analysis of the clinical information and related materials of 202 patients with stage IB-IIA primary cervical cancer who had undergone a radical hysterectomy in the Department of Gynecology at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University between January 2017 and December 2018. The definition of LANR was as follows: LANR, lymphocyte × albumin / neutrophil. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was generated to determine the best cut-off values for these parameters, as well as the sensitivity and specificity of LANR in predicting recurrence and survival. The Kaplan-Meier method was employed to draw survival curves in our survival analysis. Univariate analysis, multifactorial analysis, and subgroup analysis were used to evaluate the prognostic significance of LANR in overall and progression-free survival.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time of the study was 55 months. In overall survival, the area under the curve for LANR was 0.704 (95% CI: 0.590-0.818, p<0.05). And in progression-free survival, the area under the curve for LANR was 0.745 (95% CI: 0.662-0.828, p<0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the value of LANR was associated with both overall survival and progression-free survival (p< 0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that OS (p< 0.001) and PFS (p< 0.001) in patients with high LANR levels were significantly higher than those with low LANR levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggested that LANR might serve as a clinically reliable and effective independent prognostic indicator in patients with stage IB-IIA cervical cancer.

Prognostic role of pre-treatment serum ALB in Patients with oropharyngeal cancer: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

The morbidity of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is continuing to rise in numerous developed countries. An accurate prognostic assessment is needed to evaluate the malignant degree or risk classification to optimize treatment. Albumin (ALB) as an independent prognostic indicator of cancer survival has been established in previous studies. This study investigated the prognostic value of pre-treatment serum ALB in OPC patients.

METHODS

The clinicopathological data of 246 patients diagnosed with OPC from 2010 to 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. Analyze the relationship between ALB and clinicopathological characteristics of patients. The optimal cut-off values for ALB were determined via Cutoff Finder (Method for cutoff determination: Survival: significance (log-rank test)). To determine the independent prognostic factors, the Cox proportional hazards model was used to perform univariate and multivariate analyses of the serum ALB levels related to overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).

RESULTS

The optimal cut-off point for ALB was 39.15 g/L determined via Cutoff Finder. Serum ALB levels were significantly associated with age (P=0.047), Presence of comorbidity (P=0.009), Charlson score index (P=0.007), Hemoglobin (P<0.001), Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (P=0.002), Albumin-To-Alkaline Phosphatase Ratio (P<0.001), Alkaline phosphatase (P=0.005), T stage (P=0.016), and HPV status (P=0.002). In the univariate and multivariate analyses, ALB was found to be an independent prognostic indicator for DFS (HR =0.39, 95% CI:0.23-0.66, P=0.000) and OS (HR =0.46, 95% CI: 0.25-0.83, P=0.01) in OPC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-treatment serum ALB could serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker for the prognostic stratification of OPC patients.

The impact of serum albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio in cervical cancer patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy

We retrospectively analysed the prognostic significance of serum albumin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and albumin to ALP ratio (AAPR) and other prognostic factors affecting the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in 200 cervical cancer patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT). The prognostic factors for OS and DFS, in addition to the predictive factors of albumin, ALP and AAPR, were investigated. Older age, lymph node metastasis, non-complete response (CR) to treatment and low serum albumin levels emerged as predictors of poor OS and PFS in multivariate analysis. However, with a cut-off value of 0.51, AAPR was not a significant prognostic factor of survival in multivariable analysis. There were no significant differences in clinicopathological factors between patients with low and high AAPR, except for lymph node metastasis, where lymph node metastasis rate was significantly higher in patients with a low AAPR compared to those with a high AAPR. Patients with CR had a significantly higher serum albumin level and AAPR compared to patients without CR. The pre-treatment serum albumin level was independent predictive for survival; therefore, it could be a suitable biomarker to guide systemic therapy and predict patient outcomes. Impact StatementWhat is already known on this subject? Two major determinants of tumour progression are nutritional status and inflammation. The albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR), which was originally proposed as a marker for nutritional status and immune response, was recently discovered to be a prognostic factor for various cancer types. However, its utility in the treatment of cervical cancer has not been established.What do the results of this study add? Low serum albumin levels were associated with a significantly shorter OS and PFS in cervical cancer patients treated definitively with CRT. AAPR, on the other hand, was not a significant prognostic factor for survival with a cut-off value of 0.51. Regional lymph node metastasis was significantly more common in patients with a low AAPR than in those with a high AAPR.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Patients with multiple clinicopathological risk factors and low serum albumin levels had an increased risk of disease recurrence and a poorer prognosis, highlighting the importance of additional adjuvant treatment strategies in these patients. Due to the preliminary nature of our findings, additional research is required to corroborate them.

The Prognostic Value of Preoperative Albumin-to-Alkaline Phosphatase Ratio on Survival Outcome for Patients With Locally Advanced Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: This retrospective cohort study was to assess the prognostic value of preoperative albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) on survival outcome for patients with locally advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (LAOSCC). Methods: A total of 250 patients with LAOSCC receiving upfront radical surgery at a single institute from January 2008 to December 2017 were enrolled. The primary endpoint was the survival predictability of preoperative AAPR on the 5-year overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and disease-free survival (DFS). Cox proportional hazards model was used for survival analysis. The X-tile software was used to estimate the optimal cut-off value of preoperative AAPR on survival prediction. A predictive nomogram incorporating the clinicopathological factors on OS was further generated. Results: The 5-year OS, CSS, and DFS rates were 68.6%, 79.7%, and 61.7%, respectively. The optimal cut-off of preoperative AAPR to predict the 5-year OS was observed to be 0.51. For those with preoperative AAPR≧0.51, the 5-year OS, CSS, and DFS were statistically significantly superior to those with preoperative AAPR<0.51 (OS: 76.1% vs 48.5%, P < .001; CSS: 84.3% vs 66.4%, P = .005; DFS: 68.9% vs 42.6%, P < .001). In Cox model, we observed that preoperative AAPR<0.51 was a significantly negative prognosticator of OS (HR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.466-3.361, P < .001), CSS (HR: 2.037, 95% CI: 1.16-3.578, P  = .013), and DFS (HR: 1.756, 95% CI: 1.075-2.868, P  = .025). After adding the variable of preoperative AAPR, the c-index of the predictive nomogram incorporating assorted clinicopathological factors increases from 0.663 to 0.692 for OS. Conclusion: Our results suggest that preoperative AAPR serves as an independent survival predictor for patients with LAOSCC. The nomogram incorporating preoperative AAPR and various clinicopathological features may be a convenient tool to estimate the mortality risk for patients with LAOSCC.

Albumin-to-Alkaline Phosphatase Ratio as a Novel Prognostic Marker of Nivolumab Monotherapy for Previously Treated Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIM

The relationship between albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) and the outcome of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors remains unresolved. We aimed to clarify the prognostic role of AAPR in nivolumab monotherapy for previously treated mRCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated 60 patients with mRCC treated with nivolumab after failure of at least one molecular targeted therapy. The patients were stratified into two groups based on the baseline AAPR. The threshold of AAPR was determined using receiver-operating characteristics and Youden index analyses. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate (ORR) of nivolumab therapy were compared between the high and low AAPR groups.

RESULTS

The threshold of AAPR was set at 0.3, and 20 patients (33%) were assigned to the low AAPR group. The median OS and PFS were significantly lower in the low AAPR group than those in the high group (OS: 8.3 months vs. not reached, p<0.0001; PFS: 2.9 vs. 10.4 months, p=0.0006). Moreover, ORR was significantly lower in the low AAPR group than in the high group (16% vs. 45%, p=0.0397). Multivariate analyses further showed that AAPR was an independent factor for OS [HR=0.27 (95% CI=0.09-0.77), p=0.0151] but not for PFS (p=0.174).

CONCLUSION

Baseline AAPR was significantly associated with outcome in patients with mRCC receiving nivolumab monotherapy and may, therefore, constitute an effective prognostic factor for nivolumab treatment.

Albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio as a promising indicator of prognosis in human cancers: is it possible?

Background

The impact of albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) on prognosis in cancer patients remains uncertain, despite having multiple relevant studies in publication.

Methods

We systemically compiled literatures from 3 databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Web of Science) updated to May 24th, 2020. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed and synthesized using STATA 14, values were then pooled and utilized in order to assess the overall impact of AAPR on patient’s prognosis.

Results

In total, 18 studies involving 25 cohorts with 7019 cases were incorporated. Pooled results originated from both univariate and multivariate analyses (HR = 2.14, 95%CI:1.83–2.51, random-effects model; HR = 1.93, 95%CI:1.75–2.12, fixed-effects model; respectively) suggested that decreased AAPR had adverse effect on overall survival (OS). Similarly, pooled results from both univariate and multivariate analysis of fixed-effects model, evinced that decreased AAPR also had adverse effect on disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 1.81, 95%CI:1.60–2.04, I² = 29.5%, P = 0.174; HR = 1.69, 95%CI:1.45–1.97, I² = 13.0%, P = 0.330; respectively), progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 1.71, 95%CI:1.31–2.22, I² = 0.0%, P = 0.754; HR = 1.90, 95%CI:1.16–3.12, I² = 0.0%, P = 0.339; respectively), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR = 2.22, 95%CI:1.67–2.95, I² = 5.6%, P = 0.347; HR = 1.88, 95%CI:1.38–2.57, I² = 26.4%, P = 0.244; respectively). Admittedly, heterogeneity and publication bias existed, but stratification of univariate meta-analytic results, as well as adjusted meta-analytic results via trim and fill method, all showed that AAPR still significantly correlated with poor OS despite of confounding factors.

Conclusions

In summary, decreased AAPR had adverse effect on prognosis in cancer patients. As an inexpensive and convenient ratio derived from liver function test, AAPR might become a promising indicator of prognosis in human cancers.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-07921-6.

Prognostic Value of Pretreatment Albumin-to-Alkaline Phosphatase Ratio in Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background

Recently, it has been reported that the pretreatment albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) is related to the prognosis of various cancers. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore the prognostic value of pretreatment AAPR on clinical outcomes in cancer.

Methods

PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase were systematically searched for relevant research before May 2020. Stata 12 was utilized to extract the data and the characteristics of each study and to generate a pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the relationship between pretreatment AAPR and survival outcomes.

Results

We included 16 eligible published articles involving 5,716 patients. We found that low pretreatment AAPR was associated with poor overall survival (HR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.80–2.50, P < 0.001), cancer-specific survival (HR = 2.89, 95% CI: 1.46–5.71, P < 0.001), disease-free survival (HR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.43–2.53, P < 0.001), and progression-free survival (HR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.49–2.52, P < 0.001). However, there was no statistical relationship between pretreatment AAPR and recurrence-free survival, distant-metastasis-free survival, or locoregional relapse-free survival. The correlation between pretreatment AAPR and overall survival did not change significantly when possible confounders were stratified. The sensitivity analysis showed that this study was reliable.

Conclusions

Low pretreatment AAPR was significantly associated with adverse clinical outcomes of cancer. Pretreatment AAPR could be a valuable noninvasive prognostic indicator for cancer.

Validation of the Prognostic Value of Preoperative Albumin-to-Alkaline Phosphatase Ratio in Patients with Surgically Treated Non-Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Purpose

Several studies have revealed that albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) was correlated to the survival of several cancers. To explore the impact of AAPR on the survival of non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients following nephrectomy, the present study was conducted.

Patients and Methods

A total of 648 patients were enrolled in the present study. The cut-off value of AAPR was determined based on the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to identify prognostic factors. The discrimination and calibration of models for survival outcomes were evaluated based on the concordance index (C-index), ROC analysis and calibration curve.

Results

The low AAPR (≤0.5) was associated with older age (P<0.001), higher T stage (P=0.002), larger tumor size (P=0.014) and tumor necrosis (P=0.003). A high AAPR was significantly correlated to better OS (hazard ratio, HR=0.61; P=0.038) and CSS (HR=0.52; P=0.013) based on multivariate analysis. Integrating AAPR with UISS or SSIGN, the C-indexes of nomogram for OS (UISS: 0.790 vs 0.765; SSIGN: 0.861 vs 0.850) and CSS (UISS: 0.832 vs 0.805; SSIGN: 0.905 vs 0.896) increased. Moreover, the nomogram for OS and CSS was established based on the multivariate analysis. The C-indexes of nomogram for OS and CSS were 0.834 (95% CI 0.794–0.874) and 0.867 (95% CI 0.830–0.904), respectively.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the high preoperative AAPR was a favorable prognostic factor for surgically treated non-metastatic RCC patients. AAPR also could improve the predictive value of well-established models. The nomogram that incorporates AAPR had a good performance. More prospective studies with a large scale are essential to validate our findings.

Pretreatment albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio as a prognostic indicator in solid cancers: A meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis

BACKGROUND

Albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR), a novel and economic serum biomarker, is associated with survival in patients with cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the potential role of AAPR as a prognostic indicator of solid cancers.

METHODS

This meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis of retrospective studies was designed to investigate the relationship between AAPR and overall survival (OS) in solid cancers. The meta-analysis included 5951 patients from 20 cohorts. The main predictor variable was AAPR, and the main outcome was OS. Statistical tests were performed using Stata 12.0, Revman 5.3, and R 3.6.1.

RESULTS

Compared to patients with a lower AAPR, those with a higher AAPR had a better OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43-0.58; p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis by tumor type indicated that a higher AAPR was associated with a better OS in non-small cell lung cancer (HR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.26-0.78; p < 0.001), small cell lung cancer (HR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.44-0.82; p < 0.001), hepatocellular carcinoma (HR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.34-0.69; p < 0.001), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (HR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.31-0.71; p < 0.001), and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (HR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.21-0.85; p = 0.016).

CONCLUSION

Pretreatment AAPR may be a useful prognostic indicator in solid cancers.

Preoperative fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio, a potential prognostic factor for patients with stage IB-IIA cervical cancer

Background

Previous studies have shown that fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) is a novel prognostic immune biomarker in various diseases. In this study, we investigated the role of FAR in the prognosis of patients with stage IB-IIA cervical cancer (CC).

Methods

A total of 278 eligible participants with newly diagnosed CC (stage IB-IIA) who had undergone radical hysterectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled in this study. Demographics, clinicopathological variables, and laboratory tests were obtained from the medical records. Risk factors for overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional regression analyses. The association between OS, RFS, and FAR was assessed by the Kaplan–Meier method using log-rank test.

Results

FAR was associated with age, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, depth of the invasion, and C-reactive protein (CRP) level (P < 0.05). Preoperative FAR was an effective predictor for OS in CC patients with a cut-off value of 7.75 and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.707 (P < 0.001). The univariate and multivariate Cox analyses indicated that FIGO stage and FAR were two independent risk factors for both OS and RFS (P < 0.05). Kaplan–Meier analysis confirmed that patients with high FAR levels showed significantly lower RFS (P = 0.004) and OS (P = 0.003) than those with low FAR levels.

Conclusions

This study indicated that elevated preoperative FAR might be a novel prognostic factor for CC patients with stage IB-IIA.

Albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio serves as a prognostic indicator in unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: a propensity score matching analysis

BACKGROUND

Recent evidence suggests that albumin-to-Alkaline Phosphatase Ratio (AAPR) functions as a novel prognostic marker in several malignancies. However, whether it can predict the prognosis of unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unclear. Herein, we seek to investigate this possibility by a propensity score matching (PSM) analysis.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study in which 419 patients diagnosed with unresectable PDAC and receiving chemotherapy were recruited. Patients were stratified based on the cutoff value of AAPR. The PSM analysis was performed to identify 156 well-balanced patients in each group for overall survival (OS) comparison and subgroup analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to examine the potential of AAPR to indicate the prognosis of unresectable PDAC. The prediction performance of conventional model and combined model including AAPR was compared using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and concordance index (C-index).

RESULTS

We identified an AAPR of 0.4 to be the optimal cutoff for OS prediction. Patients with AAPR≤0.4 had significantly shorter OS compared with patients with AAPR> 0.4 (6.4 versus 9.3 months; P < 0.001). Based on the PSM cohort and entire cohort, multivariate Cox analysis revealed that high pretreatment for AAPR was an independent marker predicting favorable survival in unresectable PDAC (hazard ratio, 0.556; 95% confidence interval, 0.408 to 0.757; P < 0.001). Significant differences in OS were observed in all subgroups except for the group of patients age ≤ 60. Combined prognostic model including AAPR had lower AIC and higher C-index than conventional prognostic model.

CONCLUSIONS

Pretreatment AAPR servers as an independent prognostic indicator for patients with unresectable PDAC. Inclusion of AAPR improved the prediction performance of conventional prognostic model, potentially helping clinicians to identify patients at high risk and guide individualized treatment.