ASO Author Reflections: C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: What Does the Novel Index Represent?

Excerpt

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is traditionally considered resistant to chemotherapy or multidisciplinary therapy, and identification of prognostic factors is important. According to previous reports, the prognostic significance of clinical stage has been controversial in MPM patients, which is likely attributable to the reportedly poor diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography images for lymph node metastasis and T factor. Therefore, a prognostic factor with high objectivity and reproducibility would be important. Our previous study has suggested that the serum nutritional status of a patient would be a significant prognostic indicator in MPM patients1; however, on the other hand, inflammation-based indices are also widely believed to be significant prognostic factors.2 We thus investigated the clinical utility of a novel index, C-reactive protein (CRP)/albumin ratio (CAR), which reflects both nutritional and inflammatory statuses. The CAR has already been used to predict treatment outcome in patients with gastric, esophageal, and ovarian cancer. The present study aimed to clarify the prognostic significance of CAR in MPM patients. …