Prognostic and Clinicopathological Significance of C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background: This meta-analysis explored the correlation between the C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) and survival outcomes and clinicopathological characteristics in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were comprehensively searched through October 17, 2019. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the association between CAR and overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and disease-free survival (DFS) in pancreatic cancer.

Results: The meta-analysis included 11 studies comprising 2271 patients. The pooled results showed that a high CAR was predictive of worse OS (HR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.65-2.06, P < .001), PFS (HR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.27-1.85, P < .001), and DFS (HR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.30-2.41, P < .001). An elevated CAR was also associated with male sex (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.10-1.74, P = .006).

Conclusion: Elevated pretreatment CAR effectively predicts inferior survival outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer and may be a powerful prognostic indicator for these patients.

Keywords: C-reactive protein to albumin ratio; meta-analysis; pancreatic cancer; prognosis; systemic inflammation.