Systemic inflammation score predicts postoperative prognosis of patients with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma

Systemic inflammation score as a predictor of death within one year after esophagectomy

BACKGROUND

After radical resection for esophageal cancer, death within 1 year of surgery can occur due both to recurrence and to other diseases, even after postoperative complications have been overcome. This study identified risk factors for early death within 1 year of esophagectomy for reasons other than death in hospital in patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal cancer or esophagogastric junction cancer.

METHODS

We reviewed 366 patients who underwent esophagectomy without adjuvant treatment between January 2009 and July 2022 for thoracic esophageal cancer or esophagogastric junction cancer. Patients who died within 1 year excluding in-hospital death were compared with those who did not. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of death within 1 year after surgery.

RESULTS

Death within 1 year occurred in 32 of 366 patients, 24 from primary disease and 8 from other diseases. Deaths within 1 year were significantly older than the other cases, had significantly lower % vital capacity (%VC), and occurred significantly more often in cases in advanced stages of disease. In a multivariable analysis, a systemic inflammation score (SIS) based on serum albumin level and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio was identified as an independent predictor of death within 1 year. As SIS increased, %VC decreased significantly, and CRP level and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio increased significantly. There was no relationship between SIS and pN. Death within 1 year increased as SIS increased (p = 0.001 for trend).

CONCLUSION

SIS assessment undertaken before beginning esophageal cancer treatment is a useful predictor of death within 1 year of surgery.

Development and validation of a predictive model for stroke associated pneumonia in patients after thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke

Objective

This study aims to identify the risk factors associated with stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) in patients who have undergone thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke and to develop a nomogram chart model for predicting the occurrence of pneumonia.

Methods

Consecutive patients who underwent thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke were enrolled from three hospitals at Taizhou Enze Medical Center. They were randomly divided into a training group and a validation group in a 7:3 ratio. The training group data was used to screen for effective predictive factors using LASSO regression. Multiple logistic regression was then conducted to determine the predictive factors and construct a nomogram chart. The model was evaluated using the validation group, analyzing its discrimination, calibration, and clinical decision curve. Finally, the newly constructed model was compared with the AIS-APS, A2DS2, ISAN, and PANTHERIS scores for acute ischemic stroke-associated pneumonia.

Results

Out of 913 patients who underwent thrombectomy, 762 were included for analysis, consisting of 473 males and 289 females. The incidence rate of SAP was 45.8%. The new predictive model was constructed based on three main influencing factors: NIHSS ≥16, postoperative LMR, and difficulty swallowing. The model demonstrated good discrimination and calibration. When applying the nomogram chart to threshold probabilities between 7 and 90%, net returns were increased. Furthermore, the AUC was higher compared to other scoring systems.

Conclusion

The constructed nomogram chart in this study outperformed the AIS-APS, A2DS2 score, ISAN score, and PANTHERIS score in predicting the risk of stroke-associated pneumonia in patients with acute ischemic stroke after thrombectomy. It can be utilized for clinical risk prediction of stroke-associated pneumonia in patients after thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke.

[Establishment and verification of a prognostic nomogram for survival of tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent cervical dissection]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the prognostic significance of inflammatory biomarkers, prognostic nutritional index and clinicopathological characteristics in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) patients who underwent cervical dissection.

METHODS

The retrospective cohort study consisted of 297 patients undergoing tumor resection for TSCC between January 2017 and July 2018. The study population was divided into the training set and validation set by 7 :3 randomly. The peripheral blood indices of interest were preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation score (SIS) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariable Cox regression analysis were used to evaluate independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). The nomogram's accuracy was internally validated using concordance index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the curve (AUC), calibration plot and decision curve analysis.

RESULTS

According to the univariate Cox regression analysis, clinical TNM stage, clinical T category, clinical N category, differentiation grade, depth of invasion (DOI), tumor size and pre-treatment PNI were the prognostic factors of TSCC. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that pre-treatment PNI, clinical N category, DOI and tumor size were independent prognostic factors for OS or DSS (P < 0.05). Positive neck nodal status (N≥1), PNI≤50.65 and DOI > 2.4 cm were associated with the poorer 5-year OS, while a positive neck nodal status (N≥1), PNI≤50.65 and tumor size > 3.4 cm were associated with poorer 5-year DSS. The concordance index of the nomograms based on independent prognostic factors was 0.708 (95%CI, 0.625-0.791) for OS and 0.717 (95%CI, 0.600-0.834) for DSS. The C-indexes for external validation of OS and DSS were 0.659 (95%CI, 0.550-0.767) and 0.780 (95%CI, 0.669-0.890), respectively. The 1-, 3- and 5-year time-dependent ROC analyses (AUC = 0.66, 0.71 and 0.72, and AUC = 0.68, 0.77 and 0.79, respectively) of the nomogram for the OS and DSS pronounced robust discriminative ability of the model. The calibration curves showed good agreement between the predicted and actual observations of OS and DSS, while the decision curve confirmed its pronounced application value.

CONCLUSION

Pre-treatment PNI, clinical N category, DOI and tumor size can potentially be used to predict OS and DSS of patients with TSCC. The prognostic nomogram based on these variables exhibited good accurary in predicting OS and DSS in patients with TSCC who underwent cervical dissection. They are effective tools for predicting survival and helps to choose appropriate treatment strategies to improve the prognosis.

Preoperative Systemic Inflammation Score Predicts the Prognosis of Patients with Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Undergoing Radical Nephroureterectomy

Background: To investigate the prognostic significance of systemic inflammation score (SIS) in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in patients undergoing radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). Methods: A total of 313 UTUC patients who underwent RNU at West China Hospital from May 2014 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The predictive value of SIS for relevant endpoints, including overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and progression-free survival (PFS), was assessed by Kaplan-Meier curves and the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 218 UTUC patients were ultimately included in this cohort study. Statistical analysis shows that increased SIS was significantly associated with higher TNM stage (p = 0.017), lower BMI (p = 0.037), absence of hemoglobin (p < 0.001), and pathologic necrosis (p = 0.007). Kaplan-Meier survival curves clearly visually stratified survival for the three outcomes. After adjusting for tumor grade, the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model results showed that SIS was an independent risk factor for poor OS and CSS (HR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.11-3.21, p = 0.0183, HR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.07-3.33, p = 0.0285) in the advanced group. Conclusions: SIS was an independent risk factor for OS and CSS after RNU in patients with high-grade UTUC. It may be a novel and conducive tool for preoperative risk stratification and guiding individualized therapy for high-risk UTUC patients.

Platelet count and MCHC as independent prognostic markers for feline mammary carcinomas

Mammary neoplasms are common in felines species and represent a significant disease for its unfavorable prognosis. Changes in the blood count and serum biochemical profile of these patients have potential as non-invasive prognostic markers prior to mastectomy, however, they are poorly described in literature. In this study univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using these factors to determine the effect of each parameter on the one-year survival time after the surgical procedure in these animals. The median overall survival (OS) and the disease-free survival (DFS) were 365 and 242 days, respectively. In univariate analysis, values within the reference range of monocyte, platelet and creatinine counts were identified as significant prognostic factors for OS and only creatinine was significant for DFS (P < 0.05). In the multivariate analysis, platelets and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) remained independent prognostic factors for OS. The results presented suggest that monocytes, platelets and creatinine may be important non-invasive pre-surgical prognostic markers, and that platelet count and MCHC are independent prognostic markers for feline mammary carcinomas (FMC). The correlation between such alterations is of important relevance for veterinary oncology, and prospective studies are needed to validate their clinical use and that platelet count and MCHC are independent prognostic markers for FMC. The results found in this study can also be studied in human medicine, regarding blood markers in human breast cancer (HBC).

Interpretations of the Role of Plasma Albumin in Prognostic Indices: A Literature Review

This review assesses how publications interpret factors that influence the serum or plasma albumin (PA) level in prognostic indices, focusing on inflammation and nutrition. On PubMed, a search for "albumin AND prognosis" yielded 23,919 results. From these records, prognostic indices were retrieved, and their names were used as search strings on PubMed. Indices found in 10 or more original research articles were included. The same search strings, restricted to "Review" or "Systematic review", retrieved yielded on the indices. The data comprised the 10 latest original research articles and up to 10 of the latest reviews. Thirty indices had 294 original research articles (6 covering two indices) and 131 reviews, most of which were from recent years. A total of 106 articles related the PA level to inflammation, and 136 related the PA level to nutrition. For the reviews, the equivalent numbers were 54 and 65. In conclusion, more publications mention the PA level as a marker of nutrition rather than inflammation. This is in contrast to several general reviews on albumin and nutritional guidelines, which state that the PA level is a marker of inflammation but not nutrition. Hypoalbuminemia should prompt clinicians to focus on the inflammatory aspects in their patients.

The Osaka prognostic score and Naples prognostic score: novel biomarkers for predicting short-term outcomes after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage

OBJECTIVES

Poor immune-nutritional status has been associated with an unfavorable outcome in critical illness. The Osaka prognostic score (OPS) and the Naples prognostic score (NPS), based on inflammatory and nutritional status, has been shown to predict prognosis following cancer and other diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the OPS and NPS and the short-term outcomes of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients hospitalized with spontaneous ICH (n = 340) at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between August 2016 and August 2021. Inclusion criteria included patients aged between 18 and 70, and if a blood sample was taken for laboratory testing within 24 h of admission (serum C-reactive protein, albumin, total cholesterol, and counts for neutrophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes were collected on admission). Exclusion criteria included a non-spontaneous cause of ICH and patient death during hospitalization. Patients were divided into four groups based on OPS or five groups according to NPS. Outcomes were evaluated by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at six months post-ICH hospitalization. An unfavorable outcome was defined as a mRS score ≥ 3.

RESULTS

A total of 289 patients met our inclusion criteria. The unfavorable outcome group had older age, a lower Glasgow Coma Scale score, a higher rate of complications and cerebral herniation, a longer hospital stay, and higher OPS and NPS when compared with the favorable outcome group. Univariate analysis showed that both OPS and NPS were strongly correlated with mRS (r = 0.196,P < 0.001; r = 0.244, P = 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis further showed that OPS and NPS were both independent predictors of unfavorable outcomes for patients with ICH with adjusted odds ratios of 1.802 (95% confidence interval [CI]:1.140-2.847, P = 0.012) and 1.702 (95% CI: 1.225-2.635, P = 0.02), respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of NPS for predicting a poor outcome was 0.732 (95% CI: 0.665-0.799), which was similar to the AUC of OPS 0.724 (95% CI: 0.657-0.792).

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort, a higher OPS and NPS on admission was associated with poor outcome at six months following ICH, supporting their potential role as markers for predicting the outcome of patients with ICH.

Predictive Value of Systemic Inflammation Score for Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury and Adverse Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Purpose

Prior research has demonstrated a key role of systemic inflammatory state in the pathogenesis and progression of contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI). Recently, the systemic inflammation score (SIS) has been introduced to evaluate the inflammatory status, utilizing the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and albumin. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether the SIS can predict CA-AKI and long-term prognosis in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Patients and Methods

A total of 5726 patients who underwent elective PCI were included from January 2012 to December 2018. The primary outcome was CA-AKI, defined as an increase in serum creatinine (SCr) ≥0.3 mg/dl or ≥50% than baseline SCr within 48 h after the PCI procedure. The secondary outcome was long-term mortality. All patients were classified into low- and high-SIS groups.

Results

During hospitalization, 349 (6.1%) patients developed CA-AKI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that patients in the high SIS group had a 1.47-fold higher risk of developing CA-AKI than those in the low SIS group [odds ratio (OR): 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12-2.01, P =0.006]. Furthermore, the SIS showed the greatest prediction performance for CA-AKI compared with other inflammatory hematological ratios. In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, the high SIS group was found to be closely associated with long-term mortality [hazard ratio (HR): 1.58, 95% CI: 1.26-1.97, P <0.001, vs low SIS group]. The Kaplan-Meier curve analysis also demonstrated a difference in long-term mortality between the two groups (Log rank test, P <0.001).

Conclusion

The SIS was closely associated with CA-AKI and long-term mortality in patients after elective PCI. Thus, more attention should be paid to exploring the potential benefits of anti-inflammatory strategies in preventing CA-AKI and improving the prognosis of patients undergoing PCI.

Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio as a prognostic and potential tumor microenvironment indicator in advanced soft tissue sarcoma treated with first-line doxorubicin therapy

Prognostic value of hematologic indices and their association with the tumor microenvironment (TME) remain unclear in advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS). We aimed to evaluate their prognostic value and correlation with the TME status in advanced STS treated with first-line doxorubicin (DXR) therapy. Clinical data and three hematological indices, including lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, were collected from 149 patients with advanced STS. The TME status was pathologically examined by CD3, CD68, and CD20 staining of resected tumor slides. In a multivariate Cox analysis, low LMR and absence of primary tumor resection were independently associated with worse overall survival (OS) (HR 3.93, p = 0.001; HR 1.71, p = 0.03). A prognostic model using these variables predicted OS with greater area under curves than those obtained using Systemic Inflammatory Score and Glasgow Prognostic Score. The LMR significantly correlated with the tumoral CD3/CD68-positive cell ratio in surgical specimens (R = 0.959, p = 0.04). In conclusion, LMR was a prognostic factor in advanced STS treated with first-line DXR therapy. LMR could partially reflect anti-tumor immunity in the TME and have the prognostic value. The potential role of LMR as an indicator of TME status warrants further investigation.

The prognosis value of CONUT and SIS score for recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with second-line immunotherapy

Objective

To investigate the predictive value of Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score and systemic inflammation (SIS) score in the prognosis, short-term efficacy, and immune-related side effects of patient with recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (R/M ESCC) receiving immunotherapy as second line therapy combined with or without radiotherapy.

Methods

Forty-eight patients with R/M ESCC who received second-line therapy with Camrelizumab were retrospectively studied. They were divided into the high and low score groups according to the CONUT and SIS score. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze factors that might affect patient prognosis and the effects of different CONUT score and SIS on the short-term efficacy and immune-related toxic and side effects of patients.

Results

The 1- and 2-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 42.9% and 22.5%, and 29.0% and 5.8%, respectively. The CONUT score ranged from 0 to 6 (3.31 ± 1.43), whereas the SIS score ranged from 0 to 2 (1.19 ± 0.73). Multivariate analysis showed that treatment related toxicity, number of cycles of Camrelizumab used, short-term effect and SIS score were independent prognostic factors for OS (P=0.044, 0.021, 0.021, 0.030, respectively), whereas SIS and CONUT scores were independent prognostic factors for PFS (P=0.005, 0.047, respectively). Patients with low CONUT/SIS score had a low incidence rate of immune-related adverse reactions (X2 = 9.735, 5.693; P=0.002, 0.017) and better short-term efficacy (X2 = 4.427, 7.438; P=0.035, 0.006).

Conclusion

R/M ESCC patients with low CONUT/SIS score have better prognosis, higher objective response rate, lower incidence of immune-related toxic and side effects after receiving immunotherapy as second-line therapy. CONUT scores and SIS scores may be reliable prognostic indicators for patient receiving immunotherapy as second-line therapy for R/M ESCC.

The pretherapeutic systemic inflammation score is a prognostic predictor for elderly patients with oesophageal cancer: a case control study

BACKGROUND

The systemic inflammation score (SIS), based on serum albumin (Alb) and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), is a novel prognostic tool for some tumours. Studies indicate that the SIS can be used as a postoperative prognostic marker. However, its predictive value in elderly oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients treated with radiotherapy is unclear.

METHODS

In total, 166 elderly ESCC patients who received radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy were included. Based on different combinations of Alb and LMR levels, the SIS was divided into 3 groups, SIS = 0 (n = 79), SIS = 1 (n = 71) and SIS = 2 (n = 16). The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess prognosis. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (t-ROC) curves were used to compare the prognostic accuracy of the SIS with that of Alb, LMR, neutrophil-to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII).

RESULTS

Decreased Alb and LMR were both associated with shorter OS, whereas a lower SIS was significantly associated with better outcomes. The OS of SIS = 0, SIS = 1 and SIS = 2 was 28.0 ± 2.9, 16.0 ± 2.8 and 10.0 ± 7.0 months, respectively (p = 0.000). Similar results were also observed for PFS. Multivariate analysis of the model with SIS revealed that the SIS was a significant independent biomarker for predicting OS and PFS. The nomogram showed that the C-index was improved to 0.677 when the SIS factor was incorporated. Furthermore, the 3-year OS rates for patients in the SIS-high group (SIS = 1 and SIS = 2) undergoing concurrent radiotherapy with a single agent (CCRT-1) and concurrent radiotherapy with two agents (CCRT-2) were 42% and 15%, respectively (p = 0.039). The t-ROC curve showed that the SIS was more sensitive than other prognostic factors for predicting overall survival.

CONCLUSION

The SIS may be a useful prognostic marker in elderly patients with ESCC receiving radiotherapy alone or chemoradiotherapy. The SIS showed a better predictive ability for OS than the continuous variable Alb and could stratify patient prognosis in different therapeutic regimens. CCRT-1 may be the best treatment for SIS-high patients.

The LMR-SSIGN-MAPS model predicts disease-free survival in patients with localized clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Introduction

Prediction models are increasingly being used to predict outcomes after surgery, and such a model would be a precious tool for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) after surgery.

Aim

To develop a comprehensive model for predicting disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with localized ccRCC.

Material and methods

In a retrospective analysis of 612 patients, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis was performed to identify significant predictors, and then risk factors were used to construct a prognostic model. Harrell's concordance index (C-index) was used to assess the accuracy of the model.

Results

The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), Mayo Clinic stage, size, grade, necrosis score (SSIGN), and Mayo adhesive probability score (MAPS) were the significant risk factors screened by LASSO Cox regression and reconfirmed by multivariate Cox regression analysis in 44 variables. Then a model was constructed by combining the LMR, SSIGN, and MAPS. The C-index of the LMR-SSIGN-MAPS model was greater than the SSIGN score alone. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated a significant association between higher LMR-SSIGN-MAPS score and poorer DFS.

Conclusions

The LMR-SSIGN-MAPS model, which consists of preoperative inflammation biomarkers, a perinephric adipose tissue image-based scoring system, and pathological features, showed the strengths of easy-to-use and high predictability and might also be used as a promising prognosis model in predicting DFS for patients with localized ccRCC.

Impact of perinephric fat volume and the Mayo Adhesive Probability score on time to clamping in robot-assisted partial nephrectomy

The aim of this study is to evaluate the association of perinephric fat volume (PNFV) and the Mayo Adhesive Probability (MAP) score with time to clamping (TTC) in robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN). The study subjects consisted of 73 tumors in 72 patients who underwent transperitoneal RAPN at a single cancer center between February 2020 and July 2022. Clinical characteristics including R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score, MAP score and PNFV were evaluated in a multivariate analysis in relation to TTC, which was classified into two groups based on median TTC. PNFV and MAP score were analyzed separately. PNFVs were measured by SYNAPSE VINCENT^® by a single expert urologist. Median TTC was 67 (range: 36-119) min. Spearman's rank correlation analysis indicated that a significant correlation was observed between PNFV and MAP score with a value of 0.81 (p < 0.0001). Univariate analysis revealed that R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score ≥ 7 (p = 0.036), posterior tumor location (p = 0.033), MAP score ≥ 3 (p = 0.02) and PNFV ≥ 250 ml (p = 0.02) were significant factors for prolonged TTC. In a multivariate analysis including PNFV (analysis 1), R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score ≥ 7 (OR 3.54, p = 0.018) and PNFV ≥ 250cm³ (OR 3.94, p = 0.010) were independent factors for prolonged TTC. Similarly for MAP score (analysis 2), R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score ≥ 7 (OR 3.54, p = 0.018) and MAP score ≥ 3 (OR 3.94, p = 0.010) were independent factors for prolonged TTC. Both MAP score and PNFV may have a significant impact on TTC.

Systemic inflammation score as a preoperative prognostic factor for patients with pT2-T4 resectable gastric cancer: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Systemic inflammation has been reported to be associated with cancer progression and metastasis. Systemic inflammation score (SIS), calculated from preoperative serum albumin level and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, has been shown to be a novel prognostic factor for several types of tumors. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the SIS in patients with pT2-4 resectable gastric cancer (GC).

METHODS

Total 97 patients with pT2-4 GC who underwent curative surgery from 322 cases between 2009 and 2015 in Fukushima Medical University Hospital were included. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses to evaluate the usefulness of preoperative SIS and other prognostic factors for relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The higher SIS score was associated with undifferentiated cancer and recurrence. Univariate analysis of RFS identified deeper tumor invasion and higher SIS were significant risk factors and multivariate analysis revealed that both of them were independent prognostic factors for RFS. As for OS, age, tumor invasion, SIS and LNR were significantly correlated with RFS. In multivariate analysis, tumor invasion, SIS and LNR were independent prognostic factors for OS.

CONCLUSIONS

SIS was an independent prognostic factor for RFS and OS in pT2-4 resectable gastric cancer patients who underwent curative gastrectomy.

Discovering the Clinical and Prognostic Role of Pan-Immune-Inflammation Values on Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma

A newly introduced pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV) was not evaluated for its role in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In this study, the PIV was calculated with the following equation (neutrophil count × platelet count × monocyte count)/lymphocyte count from the results of the automated hematology analyzers in 853 OSCC patients from 2005 to 2017. The optimal cutoff for the preoperative PIV was 268, as determined by a receiver operating characteristic curve. Significant differences were observed for alcohol consumption, smoking, pT status, pN status, overall pathological status, extranodal extension, cell differentiation, depth of invasion, and perineural invasion between higher and lower PIV patients (all p values < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier and univariate regression analyses indicated that higher PIV was associated with worse overall survival, disease-free survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival (all p values < 0.001). Multivariate analyses adjusted by various factors further demonstrated that PIV was an independent prognostic factor for overall and distant metastasis-free survival (p = 0.027, HR: 1.281 and p = 0.031, HR: 1.274, respectively). In conclusion, a higher PIV level was associated with poor clinicopathological factors in OSCC patients and could be used to predict poor posttreatment outcomes, especially for overall and distant metastasis-free survival.

The Systemic Inflammation Score is Associated with the Survival of Patients with Prostate Cancer

Background

The systemic inflammation score (SIS) based on the albumin (Alb) level and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), has been associated with survival in some cancers. However, its prognostic role in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear.

Methods

The associations between the SIS and the clinicopathological features of PCa were evaluated. The correlations between the SIS and overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Log rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were conducted to determine the prognostic factors for PCa. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

Results

A total of 253 patients with PCa were included in this study. The Kaplan-Meier analysis and Log rank test suggested that patients with a higher Alb level, higher LMR, or a lower SIS had better 5-year OS and PFS compared with patients with a lower Alb level or lower LMR or higher SIS. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses showed that drinking, prostate-specific antigen level >100 ng/mL, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio >2.09 were significant prognostic factors for OS and PFS in patients with PCa. Nomograms for 5-year OS and PFS were established with concordance index values of 0.888 and 0.824, respectively. The calibration curve was consistent between the actual observations and the prediction nomogram for OS and PFS probability at 5 years.

Conclusion

A high SIS is associated with unfavorable survival in patients with PCa. The SIS serves as a novel independent prognostic factor for OS in patients with PCa.

ANGPTL8 links inflammation and poor differentiation, which are characteristics of malignant renal cell carcinoma

Inflammation is observed in many tumors, which affects metastasis, infiltration, and immune escape and causes poor differentiation of the cancer cells. However, the molecular basis underlying the relationship between inflammation and poor differentiation in tumors has not been identified. In this study, we demonstrate that angiopoietin-like protein-8 (ANGPTL8), which is induced by stress stimuli such as inflammation, is involved in the maintenance of the undifferentiated state of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cells. ANGPTL8 is also involved in the production of chemokines that attract immune suppressor cells to the tumor microenvironment. ANGPTL8 sustains the continuous production of chemokines by activating the NF-κB signaling pathway and maintains the undifferentiated state of ccRCC cells. Finally, ANGPTL8 is induced by STAT3 signaling, which is activated by immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. These results support a role for ANGPTL8 in determining the properties of ccRCC by hampering tumor cell differentiation and establishing the tumor microenvironment.

Prognostic value of a modified systemic inflammation score in breast cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The modified systemic inflammation score (mSIS) system, which is constructed based on the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and albumin (Alb), has not been applied to evaluate the prognosis of malignant breast cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). The present study aimed to explore the relationship between the mSIS and overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and pathological complete response (pCR).

METHODS

A total of 305 malignant breast tumor patients who underwent NAC were incorporated into this retrospective analysis. We determined OS and DFS using K-M survival curves and the log-rank test. The relationship between the mSIS and OS and DFS was evaluated by a Cox regression model. A nomogram was constructed based on Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

Patients in the mSIS low-risk group had better 5- and 8-year OS rates than those in the mSIS high-risk group (59.8% vs. 77.0%; 50.1% vs. 67.7%; X² = 8.5, P = 0.0035, respectively). Patients in the mSIS (1 + 2 score) + pCR subgroup had the highest 5- and 8-year OS and disease-free survival (DFS) rates (OS: 55.0% vs. 75.7% vs. 84.8, 42.8% vs. 65.7% vs. 79.8%, X² = 16.6, P = 0.00025; DFS: 38.8% vs. 54.7% vs. 76.3%, 33.3% vs. 42.3 vs. 72.1%, X2 = 12.4, P = 0.002, respectively). Based on the mSIS, clinical T stage and pCR results, the nomogram had better predictive ability than the clinical TNM stage, NLR and Alb.

CONCLUSIONS

mSIS is a promising prognostic tool for malignant breast tumor patients who underwent NAC, and the combination of mSIS and pCR is helpful in enhancing the ability to predict a pCR.

Clinicopathological features and prognostic impact of dirty necrosis in metastatic lung cancers from the colon and rectum

Dirty necrosis (DN) is a form of tumor necrosis (TN) with prominent neutrophil infiltration and cell detritus in the necrotic foci. This study aimed to characterize the clinicopathological features of DN in metastatic lung cancers of the colon and rectum (MLCRs). A total of 227 patients who underwent pulmonary metastasectomy and complete resection for MLCR were included in this study. TN was evaluated using digitally scanned resection specimens. These slides were immunostained for biomarkers of NETosis (citrullinated histone H3 [citH3] and myeloperoxidase [MPO]), and the area positive for citH3 and MPO was further quantified. TN was observed in 216 cases (95.2%), and 54 (25.0%) of these cases had DN. The presence of TN was not associated with a worse prognosis; however, patients with DN had a significantly shorter overall survival than those without DN (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the presence of DN was a poor prognostic factor in both the univariate and multivariate analyses. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the percentage of citH3-positive and MPO-positive areas in the DN-positive cases was significantly higher than that in the DN-negative cases (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively). In surgically resected MLCR, DN is the characteristic TN subtype associated with poor prognosis and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).

Prognostic Value of the Perioperative Systemic Inflammation Score for Patients With Curatively Resected Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIM

The systemic inflammation score (SIS) is a promising tool for the evaluation of prognosis. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical impact of the preoperative SIS status in gastric cancer (GC) patients who underwent curative resection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study retrospectively analyzed 258 patients with primary gastric cancer who received curative treatment at Yokohama City University. The SIS was evaluated before surgery as determined by the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (cut-off value=4.44) and serum albumin level (cut-off value=4.0 g/dl).

RESULTS

A high SIS was identified as an independent predictor of overall survival [hazard ratio (HR)=1.784, p<0.05] and multivariate analysis showed marginal significance for recurrence-free survival (HR=1.710, p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The preoperative SIS score was correlated with both the OS and RFS of GC patients, as well as the clinical course of adjuvant chemotherapy. Thus, the SIS score is a promising prognostic factor for GC.

BACH1 promotes clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression by upregulating oxidative stress-related tumorigenicity

The carcinogenesis and progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a heterogeneous cancer derived from renal tubular epithelial cells, is closely related to oxidative stress responses (OSRs). Oxidative stress responses participate in various biological processes related to the metabolism and metastatic potential of cancer such as inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and angiogenesis. In this study, we investigated the role of broad complex-tramtrack-bric-a-brac and cap 'n' collar homology 1 (BACH1), a key transcription factor for OSRs, in clear cell RCC (ccRCC) development and prognosis. The poor prognosis and elevation of serum inflammation markers in nephrectomized ccRCC patients were correlated with the intratumor expression of BACH1 accompanied by a downregulation of heme oxygenase-1. BACH1 contributes to the invasion and migration abilities of RCC cell lines without affecting their proliferation in vitro. In contrast, BACH1 contributes to tumor progression in vivo, in relation to OSRs with the activation of EMT-related pathways. BACH1 involvement in other OSR-linked pathways, including inflammatory responses, angiogenesis, and mTOR signaling, was further revealed by RNA sequencing analysis of BACH1-knockdown cells. In conclusion, the crucial role of BACH1 in the pathogenesis and poor prognosis of ccRCC through the promotion of OSRs is suggested.

High systemic inflammation score is associated with adverse survival in skull base chordoma

Background

The systemic inflammation score (SIS), based on preoperative lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) and albumin (ALB), was recently developed and is demonstrated to be a novel prognostic indicator in several cancers. However, data discussing the utility of SIS in chordoma are lacking. We aimed to investigate the distribution and the prognostic role of SIS in primary skull base chordoma patients undergoing surgery.

Material and methods

Preoperative SIS was retrospectively collected from 183 skull base chordoma patients between 2008 and 2014 in a single center. Its associations with clinical features and overall survival (OS) were further analyzed. The SIS-based nomogram was developed and evaluated by the concordance index (C-index), time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA).

Results

The numbers of patients in the SIS 2, 1, and 0 group were 29 (15.8%), 60 (32.8%), 94 (51.4%), respectively. High SIS was associated with older age (p = 0.008), brainstem involvement of tumors (p = 0.039), and adverse OS (p < 0.001). Importantly, multivariate Cox analysis showed that high SIS independently predicts adverse OS. Furthermore, the nomogram based on SIS and clinical variables showed eligible performance for OS prediction in both training and validation cohorts.

Conclusions

The SIS is a promising, simple prognostic biomarker, and the SIS-based nomogram serves as a potential risk stratification tool for outcome in skull base chordoma patients.

Clinical impact of lymphocyte/C-reactive protein ratio on postoperative outcomes in patients with rectal cancer who underwent curative resection

Cancer-related systemic inflammation influences postoperative outcomes in cancer patients. Although the relationship between inflammation-related markers and postoperative outcomes have been investigated in many studies, their clinical significance remains to be elucidated in rectal cancer patients. We focused on the lymphocyte count/C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) and its usefulness in predicting short- and long-term outcomes after rectal cancer surgery. Patients with rectal cancer who underwent curative resection at our institution between 2010 and 2018 were enrolled in this study. We comprehensively compared the effectiveness of 11 inflammation-related markers, including LCR and other clinicopathological characteristics, in predicting postoperative complications and survival. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that LCR had the highest area under the curve value for predicting the occurrence of postoperative complications. In the multivariate analysis, male sex (odds ratio [OR]: 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-4.57, P = 0.031), low tumor location (OR: 2.44, 95% CI 1.23-4.88, P = 0.011), and low LCR (OR: 3.51, 95% CI 1.63-7.58, P = 0.001) were significantly and independently associated with the occurrence of postoperative complications. In addition, multivariate analysis using Cox's proportional hazard regression model for the prediction of survival showed that low LCR (≤ 12,600) was significantly associated with both poor overall survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.07, 95% CI 1.03-4.15, P = 0.041) and recurrence-free survival (HR: 2.21, 95% CI 1.22-4.01, P = 0.009). LCR is a useful marker for predicting both short- and long-term postoperative outcomes in rectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgery.

Novel nomograms predicting the survival of patients with nonsurgical thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with IMRT: A retrospective analysis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate several preradiotherapy serum inflammatory indicators, including the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and systemic inflammation score (SIS), and compare which of these indicators had the highest value in predicting survival. Inflammatory markers were combined with traditional prognostic factors, and novel nomogram models were developed to predict overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. A total of 245 patients were enrolled. The Kaplan-Meier method and univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare survival differences. A total of 239 patients met the eligibility criteria. The survival numbers at 1, 3, and 5 years were 176, 83, and 62, respectively. The OS and PFS rates estimated at 1, 3, and 5 years were 74.6%, 36.8%, and 26.5% and 58.4%, 31.3%, and 20.5%, respectively. The differences in patients' OS and PFS were significant when univariate analysis was applied based on inflammation-based measures. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor length, tumor stage, tumor/node/metastasis stage, chemotherapy, and SIS value were predictive variables for OS and PFS. The nomogram model established based on the multivariate models of the training data set had good predictive ability. The unadjusted C-index was 0.701 (95% CI, 0.662-0.740) and 0.695 (95% CI, 0.656-0.734) for OS and PFS, respectively. This study showed that the SIS-based nomogram could accurately predict the OS and PFS of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Prognostic significance of Naples prognostic score in operable renal cell carcinoma

Background

Naples prognostic score (NPS), a novel scoring system based on nutritional and inflammatory status, is associated with prognosis in several cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of preoperative NPS in patients undergoing nephrectomy.

Patients and Methods

This study retrospectively analyzed patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy between 2010 and 2013. The clinicopathological characteristics of patients stratified by preoperative NPS were compared. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify independent prognostic factors. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate prediction efficiency.

Results

A total of 638 patients with operable RCC were included. The high-NPS group (NPS group 2) was significantly associated with older age (P < 0.001), larger tumor size (P < 0.001), worse pathological T stage (P < 0.001), positive lymph node pathology (P = 0.002), higher tumor grade (P < 0.001), and greater tumor necrosis (P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that the high-NPS subgroup had significantly worse overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR): 2.25, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.45–3.50, P < 0.001] and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.48–3.44, P < 0.001). Among several preoperative scoring systems, NPS had the strongest discriminatory power for predicting OS and PFS.

Conclusion

Preoperative NPS can serve as a simple novel risk stratification tool to optimize the prognosis of patients with operable RCC. Further prospective and large-scale studies are needed to validate our findings.

Effects of high-quality nursing care on quality of life, survival, and recurrence in patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Postoperative nursing can improve the quality of life (QoL) and functional prognosis for lung cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of high-quality nursing on inflammation and prognosis in postoperative patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

A total of 372 patients with NSCLC were enrolled between the May 2014 and June 2016. Patients were randomly received high-quality nursing (n = 192) or normal nursing (n = 180). Symptom management, QoL, hospital stay, inflammatory score, survival time, recurrence rate, symptoms, anxiety, depression scale and psychological distress were assessed at baseline and 5-year follow up.

RESULTS

High-quality nursing significantly shortened hospital stay, improved postoperative inflammation, symptom management, QoL compared to patients received normal nursing. Compare with normal nursing, high-quality nursing decreased anxiety, depression scale and psychological distress for postoperative patients with advanced NSCLC. Outcomes showed that high-quality nursing increased the survival time and decreased recurrence rate for postoperative patients with advanced NSCLC.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, data in the current study indicate that high-quality nursing can decrease inflammation and improve prognosis for the postoperative patients with NSCLC.

Development and Validation of a Risk Nomogram Model for Predicting Recurrence in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation After Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation

Purpose

This study aimed to develop and validate a risk nomogram model for predicting the risk of atrial fibrillation recurrence after radiofrequency catheter ablation.

Patients and Methods

A retrospective observational study was conducted using data from 485 patients with atrial fibrillation who underwent the first radiofrequency ablation in our hospital from January 2018 to June 2021. All patients were randomized into training cohort (70%; n=340) and validation cohort (30%; n=145). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors. The predictive nomogram model was established by using R software. The nomogram was developed and evaluated based on differentiation, calibration, and clinical efficacy by concordance statistic (C-statistic), calibration plots, and decision curve analysis (DCA), respectively.

Results

The nomogram was established by four variables including left atrial diameter (OR 1.057, 95% CI 1.010–1.107, P=0.018), left ventricular ejection fraction (OR 0.943, 95% CI 0.905–0.982, P=0.005), type of atrial fibrillation (OR 2.164, 95% CI: 1.262–3.714), and systemic inflammation score (OR 1.905, 95% CI 1.408–2.577). The C-statistic of the nomogram was 0.741 (95% CI: 0.689–0.794) in the training cohort and 0.750 (95% CI: 0.670–0.831) in the validation cohort. The calibration plots showed good agreement between the predictions and observations in the training and validation cohorts. Decision curve analysis and clinical impact curves indicated the clinical utility of the predictive nomogram.

Conclusion

The nomogram model has good discrimination and accuracy, which can screen high-risk groups intuitively and individually, and has a certain predictive value for atrial fibrillation recurrence in patients after radiofrequency ablation.

Development and validation of a novel prognostic model for patients with surgically resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background and objectives

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common pathological type of esophageal malignancy in most regions of the world. The study aimed to identify risk factors and develop a predictive model for ESCC following surgical resection.

Patients and methods

A total of 533 ESCC patients who underwent surgical resection from Suining Central Hospital were enrolled in the study. Cox proportional hazards regression and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression were performed to identify significant prognostic factors. A prognostic model was constructed, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, concordance index (C-index), and decision cure analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the discrimination and calibration of the prognostic model. Subsequently, we built a nomogram for overall survival (OS) incorporating the prognostic factors, and a calibration plot was employed to assess the consistency between the predicted survival and the observed survival. Based on the model risk score, we split the patients into two subgroups, low-risk and high-risk, and we analyzed the survival time of these two groups using Kaplan–Meier (K-M) survival plots.

Results

Five independent prognosis factors were identified as independent risk factors for OS in ESCC patients who underwent surgical resection. The C-index, ROC curve, and DCA showed that the prognostic model had good predictive accuracy and discriminatory power in the training cohort and validation cohort than other clinical features. A nomogram consisting of prognosis factors showed some superior net benefit. K-M survival plots showed significant differences in OS between the low-risk and high-risk groups. Similar results were observed in the subgroup analysis based on age, grade, and stage. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that both risk score and risk group are independent prognostic factors in the patient cohort.

Conclusions

This study put forward a novel prognostic model based on clinical features; biopsy data and blood biomarkers may represent a promising tool for estimating OS in ESCC patients.

Predictive value of modified systemic inflammation score for postoperative unplanned ICU admission in patients with NSCLC

Background

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive value of the modified systemic inflammation score (mSIS) in postoperative unplanned admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

The clinical data of 1,321 patients with NSCLC treated with thoracic surgery in our hospital from August 2019 to June 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The preoperative mSIS, which takes into account the serum albumin (ALB) level and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), was recorded as 0, 1 or 2 and then was used to identify high-risk patients with unplanned admission to the ICU. The independent risk factors for unplanned admission to the ICU in patients with NSCLC after surgery were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results

A total of 1,321 patients, including 549 (41.6%) males and 772 (58.4%) females, were included. The median age was 57 years (range 16–95 years). The incidence of unplanned admission to the ICU in patients with mSIS = 2 was significantly higher than that in those with mSIS = 0 and mSIS = 1. The multivariate analysis showed that an mSIS of 2 (OR = 3.728; P = 0.004; 95% CI, 1.520–9.143), an alcohol consumption history (OR = 2.791, P = 0.011; 95% CI, 1.262–6.171), intraoperative infusion volume (OR = 1.001, P = 0.021; 95% CI, 1.000–1.001) and preoperative underlying diseases (OR = 3. 57, P = 0.004; 95% CI, 1.497–8.552) were independent risk factors for unplanned admission to the ICU after lung cancer surgery. In addition, the multivariate logistic regression model showed that the C-statistic value was 0.799 (95% CI: 0.726∼0.872, P &lt; 0.001).

Conclusions

The mSIS scoring system can be used as a simplified and effective predictive tool for unplanned ICU admission in patients with NSCLC.

Tumor-associated neutrophils and neutrophil-targeted cancer therapies

Neutrophils are the frontline cells in response to microbial infections and are involved in a range of inflammatory disorders in the body. In recent years, neutrophils have gained considerable attention in their involvement of complex roles in tumor development and progression. Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) that accumulate in local region could be triggered by external stimuli from tumor microenvironment (TME) and switch between anti- and pro-tumor phenotypes. The anti-tumor neutrophils kill tumor cells through direct cytotoxic effects as well as indirect effects by activating adaptive immune responses. In contrast, the pro-tumor phenotype of neutrophils might be associated with cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression in TME. More recently, neutrophils have been proposed as a potential target in cancer therapy for their ability to diminish the pro-tumor pathways, such as by immune checkpoint blockade. This review discusses the complex roles of neutrophils in TME and highlights the strategies in neutrophil targeting in cancer treatment with a particular focus on the progresses of ongoing clinical trials involving neutrophil-targeted therapies.

Fecal Microbes Associated with the Outcomes After Esophagectomy in Patients with Esophageal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Although accumulating evidence suggests that an imbalanced gut microbiota leads to cancer progression, few studies demonstrated the implication in patients who underwent oncologic esophagectomy. This study aimed to elucidate the association between gut microbes and the outcomes after oncologic esophagectomy, as well as the host's inflammatory/nutritional status.

METHODS

Overall, 783 consecutive patients who underwent oncologic esophagectomy were eligible. We investigated the microbiota detected by fecal culture tests and then assessed the association between the gut microbiota and patient characteristics, short-term outcomes, and long-term survival.

RESULTS

Seventeen different species could be cultivated. We comprehensively examined the impact of each detected microbe on survival. The presence of Bacillus species (Bacillus sp.; 26.8%) was associated with favorable prognosis on overall and cancer-specific survival (p = 0.02 and 0.02, respectively). Conversely, the presence of Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis; 3.4%) was associated with unfavorable overall and recurrence-free survivals (p = 0.02 and < 0.01, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of P. mirabilis was one of the independent prognostic factors for poor recurrence-free survival (p < 0.01). Patients with Bacillus sp. had lower modified Glasgow prognostic score and better response to preoperative treatment than those without (p = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively). Meanwhile, patients with P. mirabilis were significantly associated with higher systemic inflammation scores and increased postoperative pneumonia incidence than those without (p = 0.01 and 0.02, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative fecal microbiota was associated with the host's inflammatory and nutritional status and may influence the outcomes after oncologic esophagectomy.

Predictive evaluation of SIRI, SII, PNI, and GPS in cholecystostomy application in patients with acute cholecystitis

BACKGROUND

The aims of this study were to investigate the clinical significance of systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), systemic inflammation index (SII), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) in deciding whether to perform cholecystostomy when determining if cholecystostomy is the right choice for acute cholecystitis (AC) patients.

METHODS

Between January 2018 and December 2020, 126 consecutive patients with AC with and without cholecystostomy were retrospectively recruited from the Trakya University in Edirne, Turkey. Group I included AC patients with cholecystostomy and Group II included AC patients without cholecystostomy. The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR) were calculated. The PNI and SII were calculated RESULTS: There is significant difference between the two groups by the comparison of SIRI, SII, PNI, and GPS values (p<0.001). In Group I, SIRI, SII, and GPS values are higher than the Group II and PNI value in Group I is lower than the Group II. Furthermore, the NLR and PLR ratios in Group I are significantly higher than Group II, and the LMR ratio in Group I is significantly lower than Group II.

CONCLUSION

According to our study, we can say that NLR, PLR, SII, SIRI, and GPS are positive predictors and LMR and PNI are negative predictors for the severity of AC. Therefore, when we decide to treat AC medically, we may prefer the application of chole-cystostomy tube at the beginning of hospitalization by the help of evaluating NLR, PLR, LMR, SIRI, SII, GPS, and PNI values.

SIGIRR Downregulation and Interleukin-1 Signaling Intrinsic to Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma is highly inflamed, and tumor cells are embedded into a microenvironment enriched with IL1. While inflammatory pathways are well characterized in the immune system, less is known about these same pathways in epithelial cells; it is unclear if and how innate immune signals directly impact on cancer cells, and if we could we manipulate these for therapeutic purposes. To address these questions, we first focused on the inflammatory receptors belonging to the IL1- and Toll-like receptor family including negative regulators in a small cohort of 12 clear cell RCC (ccRCC) patients’ samples as compared to their coupled adjacent normal tissues. Our data demonstrated that renal epithelial cancer cells showed a specific and distinctive pattern of inflammatory receptor expression marked by a consistent downregulation of the inhibitory receptor SIGIRR mRNA. This repression was confirmed at the protein level in both cancer cell lines and primary tissues. When we analyzed in silico data of different kidney cancer histotypes, we identified the clear cell subtype as the one where SIGIRR was mostly downregulated; nonetheless, papillary and chromophobe tumor types also showed low levels as compared to their normal counterpart. RNA-sequencing analysis demonstrated that IL1 stimulation of the ccRCC cell line A498 triggered an intrinsic signature of inflammatory pathway activation characterized by the induction of distinct “pro-tumor” genes including several chemokines, the autocrine growth factor IL6, the atypical co-transcription factor NFKBIZ, and the checkpoint inhibitor PD-L1. When we looked for the macroareas most represented among the differentially expressed genes, additional clusters emerged including pathways involved in cell differentiation, angiogenesis, and wound healing. To note, SIGIRR overexpression in A498 cells dampened IL1 signaling as assessed by a reduced induction of NFKBIZ. Our results suggest that SIGIRR downregulation unleashes IL1 signaling intrinsic to tumor cells and that manipulating this pathway may be beneficial in ccRCC.

Relationship between SIRI, SII values, and Alvarado score with complications of acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical variations of Systemic Inflammatory Response Index (SIRI), Systemic Inflammation Index (SII), and Alvarado Score during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

METHODS

Between March 2019 and March 2021, 161 consecutive patients who had surgery due to acute appendicitis were ret-rospectively recruited from Trakya University in Edirne, Turkey. Group I included patients who had surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic and Group II included patients who had surgery before the COVID-19 pandemic period. A total of 80 patients volunteered for Group I and 81 patients for Group II. The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio, and lymphocyte/monocyte ratio were calculated. SII was calculated by the formula: platelet (P) × neutrophil (N)/lymphocyte (L). NLR was calculated by dividing the neutrophil count by the number of lymphocytes. SIRI was defined as follows: SIRI = (neutrophil × monocyte/lymphocyte). The Alvarado score was also calculated by using patient history, clinical examination, and laboratory findings.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of displacing pain, nausea/vomiting, right lower quad-rant tenderness, rebound, hyperthermia, leukocytosis, and total Alvarado score (p<0.001). There was a significant difference between two groups in comparison of C-reactive protein, SIRI, and SII values (p<0.001). Group I patients had higher values of these parameters than Group II.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results obtained from this study, we conclude that COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increase in patients with acute appendicitis admitted to the hospital. This late diagnosis of acute appendicitis caused more complications during COVID-19 pandemic. Alvarado score, SIRI, and SII can be used as a marker to indicate whether complications of acute appendicitis occurred pre- or post-operatively. Therefore, Alvarado score, SIRI, and SII are directly proportional to the complication of acute appendicitis.

The Prognostic Value of Multiple Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers in Preoperative Patients With Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Introduction

The preoperative inflammatory and nutrient status of the patient are closely correlated to the outcome of surgery-based treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of inflammation and nutrient biomarkers in preoperative patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by constructing a prognostic predictive model.

Methods

We retrospectively studied 995 patients with NSCLC who underwent surgery in the Shandong Provincial Hospital and randomly allocated them into the training and validation group with a ratio of 7:3. We then compared their prognostic performance and conducted univariate Cox analyses with several clinicopathological variables. Based on the performance of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and decision curves analysis (DCA), the prognostic model was optimized and validated.

Result

The median overall overall survival (OS) of patients was 74 months. Univariate Cox analysis indicated that fifteen inflammatory biomarkers were significantly correlated with OS (p < 0.100). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that the model incorporating grade, age, stage, basophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (BLR, ≥0.00675 vs. < 0.00675) and albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR, ≥1.40 vs. <1.40) showed the maximum area under the curve (AUC, 0.744). The C-index in the training and validation group was 0.690 and 0.683, respectively. The 3-year integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) compared to TNM (Tumor Node Metastasis) stage was 0.035 vs. 0.011 in the training and validation group, respectively.

Conclusions

Lower AGR, ANRI, and higher BLR were associated with a worse outcome for patients with NSCLC. We constructed a prognostic nomogram with risk stratification based on inflammatory and nutrient biomarkers. The discrimination and calibration abilities of the model were evaluated to confirm its validity, indicating the potential utility of this prognostic model for clinical guidance.

Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

PURPOSE

Few studies have reported the impact of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) on the objective response of patients with locally advanced unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We evaluated the factors predicting therapeutic effectiveness and the short- and long-term outcomes in patients with T4b ESCC treated with CRT.

METHODS

We included 155 patients with T4b ESCC who underwent CRT at the Department of Surgery, Gastroenterological Center, Yokohama City University, between January 2000 and December 2018. Responders were defined as patients who demonstrated a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR). Multivariate analysis for objective response was performed using a logistic regression model, and prognostic factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

Among the 155 patients included, 20 and 84 patients demonstrated a CR and PR, respectively, resulting in a response rate of 67.1%. The median overall survival (OS) was 15.2 months, and the 3-year survival rate was 32.1%. High Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) and advanced N-category independently predicted the objective response to CRT. GPS and objective response were independent prognostic factors for OS. There was no significant difference in the long-term survival of responders who received subsequent chemotherapy or salvage surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

High GPS and advanced N-category predicted a poor objective response to CRT in patients with T4b ESCC. Therefore, chemotherapeutic regimens with a higher efficacy are required. The indications for salvage surgery for responders should be carefully considered, with care taken to avoid complications. To confirm this, prospective randomized controlled studies are necessary.

Kidney Cancer and Chronic Kidney Disease: Too Close for Comfort

Kidney cancer and chronic kidney disease are two renal pathologies with very different clinical management strategies and therapeutical options. Nonetheless, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying both conditions are closely related. Renal physiology is adapted to operate with a limited oxygen supply, making the kidney remarkably equipped to respond to hypoxia. This tightly regulated response mechanism is at the heart of kidney cancer, leading to the onset of malignant cellular phenotypes. Although elusive, the role of hypoxia in chronic kidney diseases is emerging as related to fibrosis, a pivotal factor in decaying renal function. The present review offers a perspective on the common biological traits shared between kidney cancer and chronic kidney disease and the available and prospective therapies for both conditions.

Prognostic value of preoperative inflammatory markers among different molecular subtypes of lower-grade glioma

BACKGROUND

The inflammatory response is closely related to cancer progression and prognosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of preoperative inflammatory markers among different molecular subtypes of lower-grade glioma (LGG).

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of 214 patients with LGG from 2001 to 2013, evaluating the effect of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and derived NLR (dNLR) on prognosis among different molecular subtypes. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promotor mutations were detected by gene sequencing, and Chromosome arms 1p and 19q (1p/19q) codeletion was estimated via fluorescence in situ hybridization.

RESULTS

Survival analysis showed that a high NLR, low LMR, and high dNLR were associated with poor prognosis, while the PLR had no prognostic significance. The subsequent molecular subtype analysis indicated that a high NLR and dNLR predicted worse survival in the IDH mutation only group, a high NLR and PLR predicted worse survival in the IDH and TERT promoter mutation group, and a high PLR was associated with shorter survival in the triple-positive group. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that the dNLR was an independent prognostic factor for LGG. Finally, the prognostic nomogram was developed by integrating the inflammatory marker dNLR and independent clinical risk factors.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study indicated that a high dNLR was an independent risk factor for overall survival rates in patients with LGG, which may increase prognostic accuracy and improve patient outcomes.

The diagnostic value of modified systemic ınflammation score in predicting post-operative outcomes of cutaneous melanoma patients who underwent ısolated limb perfusion

Background

In-transit metastasis is considered a locoregional disease in cutaneous melanoma (CM) patients. Isolated limb perfusion (ILP) is among the treatment options in selected cases. The aim of this study was to determine the success of pre- and post-perfusion mSIS values in predicting the potential complications and the prognosis of the disease by investigating the early and long-term results of mSIS values calculated before and after ILP in CM cases with in-transit metastases.

Materials and methods

Patients who underwent ILP within the period from 2014 to 2020 in our department were retrospectively scanned. A total of 20 patients were found to undergo ILP. The scores obtained from modified inflammation score (mSIS) were formulated according to albumin (Alb) and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) scores.

Results

The mean follow-up time was 20.47 months. Complications requiring surgical intervention developed in three patients. According to the Wieberdink local toxicity classification, the majority (70%) of the patients were found to be grade II. Based on pre-perfusion mSIS values, 8 patients were classified as mSIS 0 while six patients were classified as mSIS 1 and 2. Based on post-perfusion mSIS values, 14 patients and one patient were classified as mSIS 2 (70%) and mSIS 0, respectively. Accordingly, univariate analysis showed that mSIS 1 and mSIS 2 were negative prognostic factors for mean survival in the pre-perfusion period (HR 0.162, 95% CI 0.036–0.729; p = 0.018 and HR: 0.223, 95% CI 0.049–1.019; p = 0.053) whereas albumin (Alb) and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) were not independent prognostic factors for mean survival.

Conclusion

The mSIS values calculated in the pre-perfusion period can give an opinion about the OS of the patients whereas post-perfusion mSIS values may predict potential surgical complications and local toxicities.

Risk factors for occult metastasis detected by inflammation-based prognostic scores and tumor markers in biliary tract cancer

BACKGROUND

Radiological detection of small liver metastasis or peritoneal metastasis is still difficult, and some patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) are unresectable after laparotomy. Staging laparoscopy may help avoid unnecessary laparotomy. However, which category of BTC is amenable with staging laparoscopy remains unclear.

AIM

To clarify the risk factors for occult metastasis in patients with BTC.

METHODS

Medical records of patients with BTC who underwent surgery at our institution between January 2008 and June 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups, according to resection or exploratory laparotomy (EL). Preoperative laboratory data, including inflammation-based prognostic scores and tumor markers, were compared between the two groups. Prognostic importance of detected risk factors was also evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 236 patients were enrolled in this study. Twenty-six (11%) patients underwent EL. Among the EL patients, there were 16 cases of occult metastasis (7 liver metastases and 9 abdominal disseminations). Serum carcinoembryonic antigen level, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and modified Glasgow prognostic score were significantly higher in the EL group than in the resected group, and these factors were prognostic. Among these factors, carcinoembryonic antigen > 7 ng/mL was the most useful to predict occult metastasis in BTC. When patients have more than three of these positive factors, the rate of occult metastasis increases.

CONCLUSION

Inflammation-based prognostic scores and tumor markers are useful in detecting occult metastasis in BTC; based on these factors, staging laparoscopy may reduce the rate of EL.

Analysis of predictors of adherent perinephric fat and its impact on perioperative outcomes in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: a retrospective case-control study

Background

Adherent perinephric fat (APF), characterized by inflammatory fat surrounding the kidney, can limit the isolation of renal tumors and increase the operative difficulty in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN). The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of APF and its impact on perioperative outcomes during LPN.

Methods

A total of 215 consecutive patients undergoing LPN for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) from January 2017 to June 2019 at our institute were included. We divided these patients into two groups according to the presence of APF. Radiographic data were retrospectively collected from preoperative cross-sectional imaging. The perioperative clinical parameters were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the predictive factors of APF.

Results

APF was identified in 41 patients (19.1%) at the time of LPN. Univariate analysis demonstrated that APF was significantly correlated with the male gender (P = 0.001), higher body mass index (P = 0.002), lower preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (P = 0.004), greater posterior perinephric fat thickness (P< 0.001), greater perinephric stranding (P< 0.001), and higher Mayo Adhesive Probability (MAP) score (P< 0.001). The MAP score (P< 0.001) was the only variable that remained an independent predictor for APF in multivariate analysis. We found that patients with APF had longer operative times (P< 0.001), warm ischemia times (P = 0.001), and greater estimated blood loss (P = 0.003) than those without APF. However, there were no significant differences in surgical approach, transfusion rate, length of postoperative stay, complication rate, or surgical margin between the two groups.

Conclusions

Several specific clinical and radiographic factors including the MAP score can predict APF. The presence of APF is associated with an increased operative time, warm ischemia time, and greater estimated blood loss but has no impact on other perioperative outcomes in LPN.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-021-02429-6.

A Novel Systematic Oxidative Stress Score Predicts the Prognosis of Patients with Operable Breast Cancer

Background

Breast cancer was associated with imbalance between oxidation and antioxidation. Local oxidative stress in tumors is closely related to the occurrence and development of breast cancer. However, the relationship between systematic oxidative stress and breast cancer remains unclear. This study is aimed at exploring the prognostic value of systematic oxidative stress in patients with operable breast cancer.

Methods

A total of 1583 operable female breast cancer patients were randomly assigned into the training set and validation set. The relationship between systematic oxidative stress biomarkers and prognosis were analyzed in the training and validation sets.

Results

The systematic oxidative stress score (SOS) was established based on five systematic oxidative stress biomarkers including serum creatinine (CRE), serum albumin (ALB), total bilirubin (TBIL), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). SOS was an independent prognostic factor for operable breast cancer patients. A nomogram based on SOS and clinical characteristics could accurately predict the prognosis of operable breast cancer patients, and the area under the curve (AUC) of the nomogram was 0.823 in the training set and 0.872 in the validation set, which was much higher than the traditional prognostic indicators.

Conclusions

SOS is an independent prognostic indicator for operable breast cancer patients. A prediction model based on SOS could accurately predict the outcome of operable breast cancer patients.

Prognostic Impact of Indicators of Systemic Inflammation and the Nutritional Status of Patients with Resected Carcinoma of the Ampulla of Vater: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND

Several indicators of systemic inflammation and nutritional status were recently shown to serve as novel prognostic factors for certain cancers. Here, we aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of preoperative indicators of systemic inflammation and nutritional status associated with the survival of patients with resected ampulla of Vater carcinoma (AC).

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the records of 91 patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) for AC from January 2002 through December 2018. Indices for systemic inflammation and nutritional status (Systemic immune-inflammation index [SII], Prognostic nutritional index [PNI], modified Glasgow prognostic score [mGPS], and Controlling nutritional status score [CONUT]) were determined using preoperative blood tests. Clinicopathological factors and these indices were analyzed to identify predictors of overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The median preoperative SII and PNI values were 456.7 and 47.5, respectively, and their optimal cut-off values were 670.0 and 50.0, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that high SII, low PNI, mGPS ≥ 1, and malnutrition, assessed using the CONUT, were significant predictors of shorter OS. Multivariate analysis revealed that high SII (HR = 2.71, p = 0.023) and malnutrition assessed using the CONUT (hazard ratio = 3.98, p = 0.006) were independent predictors of shorter OS.

CONCLUSION

SII and the CONUT predicted the survival of patients with AC after radical resection. These indicators are easily calculated using preoperative blood tests and may contribute to the development of improved strategies to treat AC.

Adapted systemic inflammation score as a novel prognostic marker for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients

BACKGROUND

The adapted systemic inflammation score (aSIS), calculated from serum albumin and the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, has been reported to be a novel prognostic marker for some types of cancers. However, the prognostic impact of aSIS in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains controversial. This study aimed to examine the prognostic effects of aSIS in a large cohort of 509 ESCC patients.

METHODS

Preoperative aSIS was retrospectively calculated for 509 ESCC patients who underwent curative resection. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (t-ROC) curves were used for comparing the prognostic impact.

RESULTS

Patients with high aSIS showed significantly poorer overall survival (OS) than patients with low aSIS (log rank P < .001). The multivariate analysis revealed that aSIS was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (multivariate hazard ratio 1.76; 95% confidence interval 1.13-2.75; P = .013). The t-ROC analysis showed that aSIS was more sensitive than other nutritional prognostic factors (controlling for nutritional status, systemic inflammation score, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio).

CONCLUSION

Preoperative aSIS may be a useful prognostic biomarker in ESCC patients who underwent curative resection.

Inflammation-Related Biomarkers for the Prediction of Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths around the world. It is necessary to identify patients with poor prognosis or with high risk for recurrence so that we can selectively perform intensive treatments such as preoperative and/or postoperative chemotherapy and extended surgery. The clinical usefulness of inflammation-related prognostic biomarkers available from routine blood examination has been reported in many types of cancer, e.g., neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte–C-reactive protein ratio (LCR), platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte–monocyte ratio (LMR), and so on. Moreover, some scoring systems based on circulating blood cell counts and albumin concentration have been also reported to predict cancer patients’ prognosis, such as the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), systemic inflammation score (SIS), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI). The optimal biomarker and optimal cutoff value of the markers can be different depending on the cancer type. In this review, we summarize the prognostic impact of each inflammation-related marker in CRC.

Comparison and development of preoperative systemic inflammation markers-based models for the prediction of unfavorable pathology in newly diagnosed clinical T1 renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

We sought to investigate the preoperative risk factors associated with the unfavorable pathology (UP) of clinical T1 (cT1) renal lesions. The aims of this study were to develop and compare several novel models capable of accurately identifying those patients at high risk of harboring occult adverse histopathological characteristics.

METHODS

The clinical parameters and preoperative laboratory test results from 1281 cT1 renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) patients who underwent partial nephrectomy (PN) or radical nephrectomy (RN) were collected. The data was randomly split into training (70%) and testing (30%) datasets. We performed univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses for significant predictors and, subsequently, constructed predictive models based on those significant risk factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the model with the highest discrimination power with corresponding area under the curve (AUC). Calibration curves were plotted and decision curve analyses (DCAs) were applied to explore clinical net benefit.

RESULTS

UP was identified in 21.1% (n = 270), 21.0% (n = 188) and 21.3% (n = 82) patients in the total population, training cohort and validation cohort, respectively. R.E.N.A.L. (radius, exophytic/endophytic properties, nearness of tumor to collecting system or sinus, anterior/posterior, location relative to the polar lines) nephrometry score, tumor size, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR) were independent predictors of UP. Among those predictive models, the model that consisted of tumor size, hemoglobin, NLR and AGR performs best according to the highest AUC of 0.70 and the highest net benefit. When tumor histology was added to the biomarker-based model, including tumor size, hemoglobin, NLR and AGR, the AUC improved from 0.60 to 0.63 in the validation cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

In this analytical model study, our findings verified that systemic inflammation response markers showed high potential for identifying UP. Our biomarker-based models well predicted occult aggressive histopathological characteristics among patients with cT1 renal lesions, and the use of models may be greatly beneficial to urologists in tailoring precise management and therapy for patients. Robust validation is warranted prior to adoption into clinical practice.

Feasibility of esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in elderly patients: a case-control study

PURPOSE

Surgery in elderly patients with esophageal cancer is challenging due to high mortality and limited survival. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of curative esophagectomy in elderly patients with esophageal cancer.

METHODS

This study included 77 and 112 patients with esophageal cancer aged ≥ 70 and 40-64 years, respectively, who underwent R0 esophagectomy between January 1998 and December 2016. Patient characteristics, intraoperative outcomes, postoperative complications, and long-term survival were compared.

RESULTS

The proportions of comorbid diseases (85.7% vs. 57.1%; P < 0.001), the American Society of Anesthesiologists score (1/2/3; 2.6%/94.8%/2.6% vs. 42.9%/57.1%/0%; P < 0.001), the preoperative systemic inflammation score (SIS) (0/1/2; 20.8%/48.1%/31.2% vs. 38.4%/38.4%/23.2%; P = 0.036), and postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ III) (33.8% vs. 20.5%; P = 0.041) were significantly higher in the elderly group than those in the non-elderly group. However, long-term overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival were not significantly different between the groups. On multivariate analysis, SIS (hazard ratio, 3.06; P = 0.037) and severe postoperative complications (hazard ratio, 2.01; P = 0.039) were significantly correlated with OS in the elderly group.

CONCLUSIONS

As SIS and severe postoperative complications lead to poor prognosis after R0 esophagectomy in elderly patients, selecting appropriate patients for esophagectomy and preventing severe postoperative complications is essential.

Lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio as a prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Systemic inflammation has been correlated with worse survival for some cancers. We evaluated prognostic values of various inflammatory factor combinations in patients who underwent resections for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

We retrospectively analysed 306 consecutive patients with HCC who underwent curative liver resections. After assessing eight combinations of inflammatory markers for predictive value for recurrence, we focused on lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) to elucidate its associations with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in univariate and multivariate analyses (Cox proportional hazards model). We also used immunohistochemical CD34 and CD8 staining to investigate the mechanism of LCR elevation.

RESULTS

LCR showed the highest association with RFS in HCC patients among the compared indices. High preoperative LCR correlated with a high serum albumin concentration, small tumour size, early Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage and low rates of microscopic vascular invasion and microscopic intrahepatic metastasis. Higher preoperative LCR was an independent predictor of longer RFS and OS in this cohort. High LCR patients had fewer vessels encapsulating tumour clusters, and higher intratumoural CD8⁺ T-cell counts than low LCR patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative LCR is a novel and convenient prognostic marker for patients with HCC, and is associated with the tumour microenvironment immune status.

Added Value of Systemic Inflammation Markers in Predicting Clinical Stage T1 Renal Cell Carcinoma Pathologically Upstaged to T3a

Objectives

We aimed to determine preoperative risk factors associated with pathologic T3a (pT3a) upstaging of clinical T1 (cT1) renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) and develop a novel model capable of accurately identifying those patients at high risk of harboring occult pT3a characteristics.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 1324 cT1 RCC patients who underwent partial nephrectomy (PN) or radical nephrectomy (RN) was performed. The study cohort was divided into training and testing datasets in a 70:30 ratio for further analysis. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors associated with cT1 to pT3a upstaging and subsequently, those significant risk factors were used to construct models. We used the area under the curve (AUC) to determine the model with the highest discrimination power. Decision curve analyses (DCAs) were applied to evaluate clinical net benefit associated with using the predictive models.

Results

The rates of upstaging were 6.1% (n = 81), 5.8% (n = 54) and 6.8% (n = 27) in the total population, training cohort and validation cohort, respectively. Tumor size, clinical T stage, R.E.N.A.L. (radius, exophytic/endophytic properties, nearness of tumor to collecting system or sinus, anterior/posterior) nephrometry score, lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), prognostic nutrition index (PNI) and albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) were significantly associated with pT3a upstaging. The model that consisted of R.E.N.A.L. score, LMR, AGR and PNI achieved the highest AUC of 0.70 in the validation cohort and yielded the highest net benefit. In the subpopulation with complete serum lipid profile, the inclusion of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and Castelli risk index-I (CRI-I) significantly improved the discrimination of model (AUC = 0.86).

Conclusions

Our finding highlights the importance of systemic inflammation response markers and serum lipid parameters in predicting pT3a upstaging. Our model had relatively good discrimination in predicting occult pT3a disease among patients with cT1 renal lesions, and the use of the model may be greatly beneficial to urologists in risk stratification and management decisions.