Association of the Advanced Lung Cancer Inflammation Index (ALI) and Gustave Roussy Immune (GRIm) score with immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in patients with gastrointestinal and lung cancer

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis, evaluating the prognostic significance of the baseline Advanced Lung Cancer Inflammation Index (ALI) and Gustave Roussy Immune (GRIm) Score in patients undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Methods A comprehensive search was performed across various databases, including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google Scholar, until October 21, 2023, to compile relevant articles for analysis. The investigation encompassed diverse clinical outcomes, including overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results This analysis included a total of 15 articles, comprising 19 studies involving 3335 patients. Among the 19 studies, nine studies focused on NSCLC, and six studies were conducted on HCC. Pooled results revealed that patients with elevated ALI levels experienced prolonged OS (HR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.37–0.70, p < 0.001) and extended PFS (HR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.52–0.72, p < 0.001). Furthermore, a GRIm score > 1 was associated with reduced OS (HR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.47–2.92, p < 0.001) and diminished PFS (HR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.35–2.34, p < 0.001) in cancer patients receiving ICIs. Subgroup analysis indicated that ALI cutoff values of 18 exhibited enhanced predictive potential. Additionally, for HCC patients, those with HCC-GRIm score > 2 showed a substantially decreased risk of mortality compared to individuals with HCC-GRIm score ≤ 2 (HR: 2.63, 95% CI: 1.89–3.65, p < 0.001). Conclusion The ALI and GRIm score served as dependable prognostic indicators for patients undergoing ICI therapy in the context of cancer treatment.