Preoperative lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio predicts hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after surgery

Abstract

Purpose This study was performed to determine the prognostic value of lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio after curative resection for hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods Between July 2010 and October 2021, 173 consecutive patients (144 male, 29 female) who underwent surgical resection for pathologically confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma were included in this retrospective study. Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between clinicopathological characteristics and recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The patients (mean age, 71 years) were stratified into high (≥9,500, n = 108) and low (<9,500, n = 65) lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio groups. The low lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio group had significantly worse RFS and OS. Low lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio (hazard ratio [HR], 1.865; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.176–2.960; P = 0.008), multiple tumors (HR, 3.333; 95% CI, 2.042–5.343; P < 0.001), and microvascular invasion (HR, 1.934; 95% CI, 1.178–3.184; P = 0.009) were independently associated with RFS, whereas low albumin-to-globulin ratio (HR, 2.270; 95% CI, 1.074–4.868; P = 0.032), α-FP of ≥25 ng/mL (HR, 2.187; 95% CI, 1.115–4.259; P = 0.023), and poor tumor differentiation (HR, 2.781; 95% CI, 1.041–6.692; P = 0.042) were independently associated with OS. Lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio had a higher area under the curve (0.635) than other inflammation-based markers (0.51–0.63). Conclusion Lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio is superior to other inflammation-based markers as a predictor of RFS in patients with surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma.

Prognostic value of lymphocyte-to-C-reactive-protein ratio in cancers

“…However, 11 were not suitable for inclusion criteria. Finally, we identi ed 31 studies from 29 articles published between 2020 and 2023 [14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44]. The ow diagram of the literature search was shown in Fig.…”

“…Subsequently, its prognostic value was also con rmed in liver, pancreatic and breast cancer [20,26,41]. C-reactive protein as a type of acute protein induced by liver cell, can re ect the in ammatory response in a timely and effective manner [45].…”

“…Increasing studies have found that high LCR predicts a good prognosis in different tumors [15,16,17,18]. However, some other studies have a different opinion [19,20,21]. Whether LCR is a reliable prognostic in ammatory immune marker remains unclear.…”

Lymphocyte-to-C Reactive Protein Ratio is an Independent Predictor of Survival Benefits for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Receiving Radiotherapy

“… 35 , 36 In terms of HCC, high LCR was found to be a predictor for better overall survival, as well as recurrence-free survival after liver resection. 37 Recently, Lo et al found that pre-treatment NLR could be a valuable marker to predict the survival and hepatotoxicity in HCC patients treated with stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SART). 34 However, no related study about the relationship between LCR and radiotherapy for HCC has been reported yet.…”

Effect of preoperative pan-immune-inflammation value on clinical and oncologic outcomes after colorectal cancer surgery: a retrospective study

“…The association between chronic inflammation and cancer development and progression is well-established, encompassing cellular transformation, promotion, survival, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis [ 4 6 ]. Notably, elevated circulating levels of CRP, indicative of inflammatory status, have been linked to poor prognoses in various cancers, including endometrial, liver, cervical, colorectal, breast, and non-small cell lung cancer [ 7 8 9 ].…”