Influence of inflammation-based prognostic score on mortality of patients undergoing chemotherapy for far advanced or recurrent unresectable colorectal cancer

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have revealed that the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS), an inflammation-based prognostic score that includes only C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin, is a useful tool for predicting postoperative outcome in cancer patients. However, few studies have investigated the mGPS in patients undergoing chemotherapy for far-advanced or recurrent unresectable colorectal cancer (AR-UCRC).

Objective: To demonstrate the influence of the mGPS for prognostication of patients undergoing chemotherapy for AR-UCRC.

Methods: The mGPS was calculated as follows: patients with an elevated level of CRP (>1.0 mg/dL) were allocated a mGPS of 1 or 2 depending on the absence or presence of hypoalbuminemia (<3.5 g/dL) and patients showing no elevated level of CRP (< or =1.0 mg/dL) were allocated a mGPS of 0. Prognostic significance was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier, univariate, and multivariate analyses.

Results: One hundred twelve patients who had undergone chemotherapy for AR-UCRC with regimens such as FOLFIRI (5-fluorouracil/l-leucovorin/irinotecan hydrochloride) or FOLFOX (5-fluorouracil/oxialiplatin) were evaluated retrospectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test revealed that mGPS 2 predicted a higher risk of mortality than mGPS 0 or 1 (P < 0.0001). Univariate analyses revealed that the neutrophil ratio (P = 0.0411), CA 19-9 (P = 0.0473), CRP (P = 0.0477), albumin (P = 0.0043), and mGPS (0, 1/2) (P < 0.0001) were associated with mortality. Multivariate analyses using these 5 factors revealed that only mGPS (0, 1/2) (odds ratio: 6.071; 95% CI: 1.625-22.68; P = 0.0073) was an independent risk factor of mortality.

Conclusions: mGPS is an important and independent predictor of mortality in patients undergoing chemotherapy for AR-UCRC.