Clinical impact of C-reactive protein to albumin ratio of the 7th postoperative day on prognosis after laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery

Abstract

Purpose C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) has been utilized as a prognostic factor in various carcinomas. We investigated the relationship between preoperative, postoperative day (POD) 1, and POD 7 CARs and the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods Three hundred twenty patients with CRC who underwent laparoscopic radical resection between May 2011 and December 2016 were enrolled. Patients were selected into 2 groups, high CAR and low CAR (72 patients per group), based on preoperative, POD 1, and POD 7 CARs. The relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between groups using propensity score matching. Results The high CAR group had a significantly worse RFS (P<0.001) and OS (P=0.002) at POD 7 than those in the low CAR group. However, in preoperative and POD 1 analysis, no differences were observed. Conclusion In patients with CRC, CAR of POD 7 was a significant prognostic factor.

Keywords

• c-reactive protein
• albumins
• colorectal neoplasms
• laparoscopy
• prognosis