Prognostic value of C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in renal cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: There are a mass of studies declared the prognostic significance of C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CRP/Alb) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Nevertheless, these works are controversial. In our study, we investigate the expression of CRP/Alb in RCC and its role in prognosis and clinicopathological features. Methods: The PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched systematically for correlative articles published before August 1, 2019. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined according to eligible studies. And we use fixed and random effects models to calculate on the basis of heterogeneity. Results: Six relevant studies were identified in this study, 1959 participants included in total. Our results showed that CRP/Alb was related to poor overall survival (HR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.56-2.21). In addition, CRP/Alb was also associated with tumor stage (OR=3.29, 95% CI: 1.66-6.50), lymph node involvement (OR=3.76, 95% CI: 2.57-5.51), metastasis (OR=5.69, 95% CI: 2.40-13.51), Fuhrman nuclear grade (OR=4.21, 95% CI: 3.14-5.64), pTNM (OR=4.34, 95% CI: 1.94-9.70) and tumor size (WMD=2.26, 95% CI: 1.86–2.67). However, CRP/Alb was not associated with necrosis. Conclusion: Our study illustrates that the higher CRP/Alb expression was correlated with poorer prognosis and more advanced clinicopathological features in RCC patients. High CRP/Alb expression may act as a valuable predictive biomarker for poor prognosis in RCC patients.