Diagnostic Value of Preoperative Haemoglobin, Albumin, Lymphocyte and Platelet (HALP) Score in Predicting Tumour Budding in Colorectal Cancer

GLR in Colorectal Cancers: An Easily Accessible Prognostic Marker

Background and Objectives

Colorectal cancer remains a significant health concern, necessitating reliable prognostic indicators for effective management. This study explores the preoperative prognostic significance of the Glucose/Lymphocyte Ratio (GLR) in colorectal cancers.

Methods

The study retrospectively analyzed records of patients who underwent surgery for elective colorectal cancers between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2021, at the Koşuyolu Training and Research Hospital Gastroenterologic Surgery Department. Demographic, clinicopathological, and follow-up data were comprehensively assessed. A cutoff was established from GLR ratios and patients were divided into two groups for prognosis analysis.

Results

The study enrolled 222 eligible patients, examining variables such as age, sex, ASA score, neoadjuvant treatment, lymphovascular and perineural invasion, tumor grade, TNM stage, and GLR. The groups consisted of 128 patients with low GLR and 94 patients with high GLR. Statistical analyses revealed relations between GLR levels (p ≤ 0.001) and various prognostic factors such as age (p = 0.034), Perineural Invasion (PNI) (p = 0.002), tumor grade (p = 0.017), TNM stage (p = 0.003), and surgery time (p = 0.029), individuals with GLR ≥ 3.04 were observed to show higher mortality rates (p = 0.001). Above GLR cutoff point of 3.04 patients showed better overall survival rates. All survival related parameters were related with prognosis in univariant Cox regression tests. In multivariant cox regression tests GLR ≥ 3.04 significantly increased mortality by 2.9 times. (p = 0.003).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that GLR, calculated from preoperative glucose and lymphocyte values serves as an independent prognostic factor in colorectal cancers. The findings suggest potential applications for GLR in survival analyses, with significant associations identified in age, PNI, tumor grade, TNM stage, and surgery time. Further investigations are warranted in homogeneous patient populations.

Impact of preoperative haemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score on oral cancer prognosis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the preoperative haemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score as a prognostic indicator in oral squamous cell carcinoma treated by radical surgery.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Patients (83 men, 32 women; 65.80 ± 11.47 years) who underwent radical surgery between 2012 and 2022 were included. Factors affecting overall survival and disease-free survival according to the haemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score were examined. Patients were categorised into low- and high-score groups using optimal cut-off values obtained from receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

RESULTS

The low-score group had poorer overall and disease-free survival (p < 0.001 each). Multivariate analysis identified alcohol consumption (hazard ratio [HR], 3.83; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.56-9.41, p = 0.003); vascular invasion (HR, 3.97; 95% CI: 1.60-9.85, p = 0.003); and the haemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score (HR, 0.39; 95% CI: 0.20-0.78, p = 0.007) as independent prognostic factors for overall survival and vascular (HR, 3.66; 95% CI: 1.79-7.50, p < 0.001) and lymphovascular (HR, 2.44; 95% CI: 1.36-4.41, p = 0.003) invasion as independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival.

CONCLUSION

The preoperative haemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score may be a significant prognostic factor for patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma undergoing radical surgery.

What is hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, platelet (HALP) score? A comprehensive literature review of HALP's prognostic ability in different cancer types

Since its inception, the Hemoglobin, Albumin, Lymphocyte, Platelet Score (HALP) has gained attention as a new prognostic biomarker to predict several clinical outcomes in a multitude of cancers. In our review, we searched PubMed for articles between the first paper on HALP in 2015 through September 2022, yielding 32 studies in total that evaluated HALP's association with various cancers, including Gastric, Colorectal, Bladder, Prostate, Kidney, Esophageal, Pharyngeal, Lung, Breast, and Cervical cancers, among others. This review highlights the collective association HALP has with demographic factors such as age and sex in addition to TNM staging, grade, and tumor size. Furthermore, this review summarizes HALP's prognostic ability to predict overall survival, progression-free survival, recurrence-free survival, among other outcomes. In some studies, HALP has also been able to predict response to immunotherapy and chemotherapy. This review article also aims to serve as a comprehensive and encyclopedic report on the literature that has evaluated HALP as a biomarker in various cancers, highlighting the heterogeneity surrounding HALP's utilization. Because HALP requires only a complete blood count and albumin - already routinely collected for cancer patients - HALP shows potential as a cost-effective biomarker to aid clinicians in improving outcomes for immuno-nutritionally deficient patients.