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

Preoperative mean platelet volume is a prognostic biomarker for survival in patients with gastric cancer: A cohort study

This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic potential of mean platelet volume (MPV) in gastric cancer (GC) patients. Patients with stage I-III GC who underwent gastrectomy were enrolled in this study. Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the determinants of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). The discriminative capacity of the model was determined using the Harrell concordance index (C-index). The net benefit of the model was validated using decision curve analysis (DCA). Data from 401 patients were analyzed. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age, stage, serum albumin level (ALB), perineural invasion (PNI) and MPV were determinants of both OS and DFS. The MPV model consisted of 5 covariates (age, stage, ALB, PNI, and MPV level), and the baseline model constituted the same covariates as the MPV model, except for the MPV level. C-indices for OS and DFS were higher in the MPV model than in the baseline model. When the models were validated using DCA, the MPV model showed a greater net benefit than the baseline model for nearly all the threshold probabilities. Age, stage, ALB, PNI, and MPV are prognostic factors for OS and DFS. The discriminative capacities for OS and DFS in the MPV model were higher than those in the baseline model, thus implying the clinical significance of the MPV level as a determinant of survival in GC.

ELF3-AS1 contributes to gastric cancer progression by binding to hnRNPK and induces thrombocytosis in peripheral blood

Numerous studies have reported that a variety of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can promote the proliferation, invasion, and migration of different tumor cells. However, different lncRNAs regulate cell functions in various forms, and the exact mechanisms are not clear. Here, we investigated the effect of the lncRNA ELF3-AS1 on gastric cancer (GC) cell function and explored the exact mechanism. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of ELF3-AS1 in GC tissues and adjacent nontumor tissues. Knockdown and overexpression of ELF3-AS1 was used to detect the effect of ELF3-AS1 on cell function. Potential downstream target genes were identified using RNA transcriptome sequencing, while RNA immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and Western blotting were performed to explore the tumor promotion mechanisms of ELF3-AS1. We observed that ELF3-AS1 was highly expressed in GC tissues, and high ELF3-AS1 expression predicted poor prognosis. The knockdown of ELF3-AS1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition and promoted apoptosis. Mechanistic investigations revealed that ELF3-AS1 may regulate the downstream target gene, C-C motif chemokine 20, by binding with the RNA-binding protein hnRNPK. Additionally, we found that high ELF3-AS1 expression was associated with thrombocytosis. Interleukin-6 and thrombopoietin may be involved in ELF3-AS1-induced paraneoplastic thrombocytosis. Together, our results demonstrate that aberrantly expressed ELF3-AS1 in GC may play important roles in oncogenesis and progression and is expected to become a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of GC.

Clinicopathological and prognostic value of preoperative plasma fibrinogen in gastric cancer patients: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence has revealed that plasma fibrinogen may serve as a prognostic indicator in multiple malignancies. However, there have been some conflicting findings on the prognostic value of plasma fibrinogen in gastric cancer (GC). We conducted a meta-analysis to explore the correlation between plasma fibrinogen and clinic outcome in GC.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the Embase, the Web of Science, the Cochrane library, and PubMed databases. Combined hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to investigate the impact of elevated plasma fibrinogen on the prognosis and clinicopathological features of patients with GC.

RESULTS

A total of 11 studies involving 8315 patients were selected for this meta-analysis. The pooled results suggested that elevated plasma fibrinogen in GC patients was related to worse overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.36-1.81, P < .001) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR = 2.54; 95% CI: 1.19-5.41, P = .016). Additionally, a high level of fibrinogen was closely correlated with advanced tumor stage (OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.83-2.50, P < .001), lymph node metastasis (OR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.56-2.11, P < .001), distant metastasis (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.12-1.94, P = .005), deeper tumor invasion (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.47-3.45, P < .001) and high carcinoembryonic antigen (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.18-1.68, P < .001). However, there was no significant association between plasma fibrinogen and the differentiation grade (OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.86-1.17, P = .967). The Egger regression test indicated evidence of publication bias for OS.

CONCLUSION

Elevated plasma fibrinogen could be a potential predictor for worse OS and RFS in GC patients and a significant risk factor associated with aggressive clinical features.

Association of prealbumin/fibrinogen ratio with clinicopathologic characteristics of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown that prealbumin (PA) and fibrinogen (Fib) can be used to predict the clinicopathological features and prognosis of a variety of malignant tumors. Therefore, we speculated that the prealbumin-to-fibrinogen ratio (PA/F) can predict the clinicopathological features of patients with gastric cancer (GC) and tumor progression preoperatively.

AIM

To explore the relationship between the PA/F ratio and clinicopathological features of patients with GC.

METHODS

The preoperative clinical and pathological data of 210 patients with GC admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University from January 2017 to March 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into either a low PA/F group or high PA/F group. The differences in clinical data and pathological features were compared between the two groups, and the correlation between PA/F values and other prognosis-related immunonutrient indicators was also analyzed.

RESULTS

The PA/F ratio was significantly associated with age, tumor size, degree of differentiation, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, and neurovascular invasion (P < 0.05). The low PA/F value group showed greater age, larger tumor diameter, lower degree of differentiation, deeper infiltration, advanced TNM stage, and more frequent neurovascular invasion (P < 0.05). PA/F values were negatively correlated with multiple immune nutrition indicators, such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), but positively correlated with prognostic nutritional index (PNI).

CONCLUSION

The PA/F ratio can be used as a predictor of preclinical clinicopathological features in patients with GC, and patients with a PA/F ratio ≤ 9.07 have a relatively poor prognosis. The PA/F value is associated with NLR, PLR, CAR, SII, and PNI.

Preoperative platelet counts and postoperative outcomes in cancer surgery: a multicenter, retrospective cohort study

Platelets play roles in malignancy, wound healing, and immunity. Nevertheless, their significance in postoperative outcomes is not established. This is a retrospective cohort study of 100,795 patients undergoing cancer surgery in 2010 and 2014 in >500 hospitals. Patients were stratified into five groups based on preoperative platelet counts. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the risk of 30-day mortality, morbidities, readmission, and prolonged hospitalization using the mid-normal group as a reference. We adjusted for demographic variables, comorbidities, and operation complexity. In the 2014 cohort, multivariable analysis showed that mortality was higher in patients with thrombocytopenia (OR 1.49, 95% CI [1.23-1.81]), high-normal platelets (OR 1.29, [1.06-1.55]), and thrombocytosis (OR 1.78, [1.45-2.19]). Composite postoperative morbidity followed a similar trend with thrombocytopenia (OR 1.34, [1.25-1.43]), high-normal counts (OR 1.41, [1.33-1.49]), and thrombocytosis (OR 2.20, [2.05-2.36]). Concordantly, the risks of prolonged hospitalization and 30-day readmission followed the same pattern. These results were validated in a large colon cancer cohort from the 2010 database. In conclusion, platelet count is a prognostic indicator in cancer surgeries. This could be related to the role of platelets in wound healing and immunity on one hand, and propagating malignancy on the other.