Serum Albumin Is Superior to Prealbumin for Predicting Short-Term Recurrence in Patients with Operable Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

The relationship between preoperative prealbumin and cancer survival has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between preoperative nutritional conditions, including prealbumin and albumin concentrations, and the risk of recurrence in cases with operable colorectal carcinoma. One hundred fifty-eight patients who underwent elective colorectal resection were analyzed in this study. Of the eligible cases, 56 (35.4%) had decreased serum prealbumin and 15 (9.5%) had decreased serum albumin preoperatively. Among 158 cases in this study, 18 (11.4%) had disease recurrence. In the univariate analysis, the depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular invasion, serum albumin, prealbumin, and carcinoembryonic antigen were the factors significantly associated with disease recurrence. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only serum albumin was a predictor of the recurrence; however, serum prealbumin lost its significance on multivariate analysis. Time to tumor recurrence by Kaplan-Meier curves significantly differed among patients with low serum albumin and prealbumin level. Our results suggest that prealbumin and albumin may be sensitive indicators of the risk of recurrent disease; however, low serum albumin levels are more useful than prealbumin in predicting short-term disease recurrence in operable colorectal cancer.

The prognostic role of preoperative serum albumin levels in glioblastoma patients

“…However, in multivariate analysis, the prognostic significance of prealbumin, total protein levels and total lymphocyte counts was markedly reduced by serum albumin levels. Consistent with our results, previous studies reported that serum albumin levels carried a greater prognostic value than other nutritional indicators in patients with various malignancies [19,20]. In our opinion, this is not because serum albumin is a stronger indicator of nutritional status, but rather because it is involved in specific pathophysiological processes such as inflammatory responses.…”

Clinical Significance of Preoperative Albumin and Globulin Ratio in Patients with Gastric Cancer Undergoing Treatment

“…A long term chronic inflammation could lead to vascular endothelial damage and increase vascular permeability, which could increase the level of ALB in interstitial fluid and result in decreasing of serum ALB. Previous studies had confirmed that a low level of ALB was associated with poor prognosis in a variety of malignant tumors, including GC [29], colorectal cancer [30], lung cancer [31], and breast cancer [32]. GLB was produced by immune organs and reflected the immune state [33], which contained a lot of acute reactive proteins such as α 1 -antitrypsin, α 2 -macroglobulin, and haptoglobin.…”

Pretreatment Albumin/Globulin Ratio Predicts the Prognosis for Small-Cell Lung Cancer

“…17 Interestingly, several studies demonstrated that serum albumin and globulin can be used as biomarkers for recurrence and prognosis in many types of cancer including lung cancer. 11,18,19 High level of albumin or low globulin level is associated with better survival. 20–22 However, as a biochemical index, the testing of albumin or globulin alone can be influenced by many factors, which may limit their stability and application in clinic.…”