Prognostic Value Of Preoperative Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers In Patients With Gallbladder Cancer And The Establishment Of A Nomogram

The value of CT findings combined with inflammatory indicators for preoperative differentiation of benign and malignant gallbladder polypoid lesions

BACKGROUND

The study aimed to explore the value of CT findings and inflammatory indicators in differentiating benign and malignant gallbladder polypoid lesions before surgery.

METHODS

The study comprised a total of 113 pathologically confirmed gallbladder polypoid lesions with a maximum diameter ≥ 1 cm (68 benign and 45 malignant), all of which were enhanced CT-scanned within 1 month before surgery. The CT findings and inflammatory indicators of the patients were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify independent predictors of gallbladder polypoid lesions, and then a nomogram distinguishing benign and malignant gallbladder polypoid lesions was developed by combining these characteristics. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve were plotted to assess the performance of the nomogram.

RESULTS

Base status of the lesion (p < 0.001), plain CT value (p < 0.001), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (p = 0.041), and monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) (p = 0.022) were independent predictors of malignant polypoid lesions of the gallbladder. The nomogram model established by incorporating the above factors had good performance in differentiating and predicting benign and malignant gallbladder polypoid lesions (AUC = 0.964), with sensitivity and specificity of 82.4% and 97.8%, respectively. The DCA demonstrated the important clinical utility of our nomogram.

CONCLUSION

CT findings combined with inflammatory indicators can effectively differentiate benign and malignant gallbladder polypoid lesions before surgery, which is valuable for clinical decision-making.

Construction and Verification of the Molecular Subtype and a Novel Prognostic Signature Based on Inflammatory Response-Related Genes in Uveal Melanoma

The significance of inflammation in tumorigenesis and progression has become prominent. This study aimed to construct and validate the molecular subtype and a novel prognostic signature based on inflammatory response-related genes in uveal melanoma (UM). Patients from the TCGA, GSE84976, and GSE22138 UM cohorts were enrolled. According to the consensus cluster analysis, patients were divided into two molecular subtypes, namely IC1 and IC2. Survival curves showed that patients in IC1 had a better prognosis. The IC2 subgroup had higher levels of immune cell infiltration and more enriched immunological pathways. There were statistical differences in the immune-inflammation microenvironment, immune checkpoint genes expression, and drug sensitivity. The prognostic signature constructed based on inflammatory response-related genes exhibited a stable predictive power. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the signature was a prognostic factor independent of clinical characteristics. Functional analyses showed that the high-risk group was associated with immunological response, inflammatory cell activation, and tumor-related signal pathways. The riskscore had a negative relationship with tumor purity and was positively correlated with immune and stromal scores. Furthermore, the prognostic signature could sensitively predict the response to drug treatments. In conclusion, the prognostic signature might aid in stratifying patients at risk premised on the prognosis and immunotherapy sensitivity.

Diagnostic Value of Inflammatory Factors in Patients with Gallbladder Cancer, Dysplasia, and Cholecystitis

Background

Involving pre-sampled patients with cholecystitis, dysplasia, and adenocarcinoma, the present study aimed to compare the neutrophil/lymphocyte (NLR), monocyte/lymphocyte (MLR), platelet/lymphocyte (PLR) ratios, and plateletcrit (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW) values and to determine their prognostic importance.

Methods

The present study involved 187 cholecystectomy specimens that were diagnosed as cholecystitis, dysplasia, and adenocarcinoma. Preoperative neutrophil, monocyte, lymphocyte, and platelet counts, NLR, MLR, and PLR ratios, and PCT, MPV, and PDW levels of the same patient groups were retrospectively recorded.

Results

In the present study, the cut-off values for dysplasia of NLR, PLR, and MLR were found as 1.61, 81.45, and .19, whereas those for cancer of NLR, PLR, and MLR were 2.65, 182.69, and .35, respectively. The NLR, PLR, and MLR values of the chronic cholecystitis and chronic calculous cholecystitis groups were statistically significantly lower than those of the chronic active calculous cholecystitis group (P < .01). The NLR and MLR values of the non-cancer and non-dysplasia groups were statistically lower than those of the cancer and dysplasia groups (P < .05).

Conclusion

According to the results of the present study, using additional imaging methods, acute-phase cholecystitis can be distinguished using preoperative neutrophil and monocyte counts, and NLR, PLR, and MLR cut-off values can be used to distinguish dysplasia, which is the antecedent of gallbladder cancer. It is thought that this might provide patients with an advantage in terms of early treatment and survival.

Prognostic significance of preoperative systemic inflammatory biomarkers in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after microwave ablation and establishment of a nomogram

The study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of preoperative systemic inflammatory biomarkers including albumin to globulin ratio (AGR), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and establish a nomogram in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after microwave ablation (MWA). 192 HCC patients receiving MWA as initial therapy from the first ward of hepatobiliary surgery were classified as training cohort. Whereas, 84 patients from the second of hepatobiliary surgery were classified as validation cohort. Kaplan–Meier (KM) method and univariate analyses showed that AGR, NLR, LMR, and PLR were significantly associated with OS in the training cohort. Multivariate analysis including clinicopathologic features screened out independent predictors including ascites, tumor size, cancer embolus, AGR, and PLR. Based on those variables, a nomogram for predicting OS was established. The C-index was 0.794 in the training cohort and 0.772 in the validation cohort. Calibration plots identified the nomogram performed well with an ideal model. Compared with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system and simple tumor size, the nomogram showed better predictive ability. Besides, the nomogram discovered the highest diagnostic accuracy in predicting postoperative clinical outcome than the combination of the present models with tumor size. In conclusion, the constructed nomogram could accurately predict individualized survival probability and might support clinician in individual treatment optimization and clinical decision-making.

Prognostic Value of Peripheral Whole Blood Cell Counts Derived Indexes in Gallbladder Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is a rare gastrointestinal malignancy with poor prognosis. Adequate pre-treatment prediction of survival is essential for risk stratification and patient selection for aggressive surgery or adjuvant therapeutic strategy. Whole blood cell count (WBCC) derived indexes are broadly used as prognosticative biomarkers in various cancer types, but their utility in GBC needs to be validated.

Methods

An extensive literature review was conducted in line with PRISMA guideline until June 31 2020, to identify original studies concerning WBCC-derived indexes as prognostic indicators in GBC. All relative parameters were extracted and pooled for statistical analyses.

Results

Fourteen studies incorporating 2,324 patients were included with a high quality and low risk of biases. All 14 studies evaluated the prognostic value of NLR showing a significant correlation with OS in GBC patients (HR = 1.94, P <0.001). Elevated NLR was revealed to correlate with TNM stage (stages III and IV, OR = 4.65, P <0.001), tumor differentiation (OR = 2.37, P <0.042), CA 19-9 (SMD = 0.47, P = 0.01), but no significance was found with age, sex and CEA. Positive indicative value of MLR and PLR were also confirmed with a HR of 2.06 (P <0.001) and 1.34 (P <0.001), respectively.

Conclusion

The WBCC-derived indexes including NLR, MLR/LMR and PLR were validated to be useful prognostic parameters for predicting survival outcomes in GBC patients. These series of indexes, especially NLR, could improve risk stratification and facilitate better patient selection for surgical resection or aggressive chemotherapy in the decision making of GBC patients.

Advanced primary squamous cell carcinoma of gallbladder and potential predictive biomarkers for prognosis

Gallbladder cancer is a relatively rare malignancy that is generally diagnosed at an advanced stage. Palliative chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or immunotherapy may be appropriate options for advanced gallbladder cancer, instead of radical surgery. In the present report, we describe an extremely unusual case of a 59-year-old man diagnosed with advanced primary squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder, according to imagological and pathological examinations. The symptoms of the patient were atypical. Preliminary data indicated that not only the systemic inflammatory biomarkers neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio but also jaundice might be correlated with the prognosis. Although the patient was treated with the best supportive care, overall survival time was only about 2 months. Advanced primary squamous cell carcinoma of gallbladder is incurable and highly lethal.

Prognostic Value of the Albumin-to-γ-glutamyltransferase Ratio for Gallbladder Cancer Patients and Establishing a Nomogram for Overall Survival

Purpose: The albumin-to-γ-glutamyltransferase ratio (AGR), a novel inflammation-related index, has been reported to have prognostic importance in several malignancies but not yet in gallbladder cancer (GBC). This study intended to assess the prognostic value of AGR in GBC and to develop a nomogram based on AGR for predicting overall survival (OS) in GBC patients after surgery.

Methods: Medical records of 140 qualified GBC patients between July 2003 and June 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The function “surv_cutpoint” in the R package “survminer” was implemented to discover the optimal cut-off value of AGR. A nomogram on the fundamental of Cox model was established in the training cohort and was internally validated using calibration curves, Harrell's concordance index, time-dependent AUC plots and decisive curve analyses.

Results: The optimal AGR cut-off value concerning overall survival was 2.050. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that AGR (HR=0.354, P=0.004), T stage (HR=3.114, P=0.004), R0 resection (HR=0.448, P=0.003), BMI (HR=0.470, P=0.002) and CA19-9 (HR=1.704, P=0.048) were independent predictors for OS. The nomogram combining these prognostic factors showed considerable prognostic performance in term of consistency, discrimination and net benefit.

Conclusion: AGR has independent prognostic value for OS in GBC patients receiving surgery. A nomogram incorporating AGR, T stage, R0 resection, CA19-9 and BMI achieved enhanced prognostic ability.

Clinical significance of postoperatif controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score in glioblastoma multiforme

PURPOSE

The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) Score, a new parameter that reflects the immuno-nutritional status, has been closely associated with prognosis in many cancer types. However, the prognostic significance of the CONUT score in Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is not known. In this study, we aimed to show the prognostic significance of the CONUT score in the postoperative period in patients with GBM.

METHODS

120 patients followed up with GBM were included in the study, retrospectively. According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the optimal cut-off values were determined for the CONUT score, and the patients were divided into low (<2.5) and high (≥2.5) CONUT groups. Systemic immune inflammation index (SII), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were grouped according to the cut-off point of 1111, 46.5, and 4.48, respectively. Cox regression analyzes were used to assess their prognostic significance for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The high CONUT score group was found to have worse PFS and OS than the low CONUT score group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). In univariate analysis, age, gender, comorbidity, CONUT score, SII, PNI, NLR were found to be significant for both PFS and OS. In multivariate analysis, only age and CONUT score were found as independent prognostic factors for both PFS (p: 0.040, p < 0,001) and OS (p: 0,041, p < 0,001).

CONCLUSION

The CONUT score in the postoperative period in patients with GBM is an independent prognostic parameter that predicts progression and survival.

Novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of gallbladder cancer

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common form of biliary tract malignancy with a dismal prognosis. A poor outcome in patients with GBC is related to the aggressive nature of the tumor, delayed diagnosis, and a lack of reliable biomarkers and effective treatment. Therefore, early diagnosis and accurate disease assessment are crucial to prolonging the patient survival. Identification of novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers may help improve the early diagnostic rate and develop specific targeted treatments for patients with GBC. We herein review the novel biomarkers that may be associated with the diagnosis and prognosis in GBC and their potential clinical significance in the management of GBC.

Survival Prediction in Gallbladder Cancer Using CT Based Machine Learning

Objective

To establish a classifier for accurately predicting the overall survival of gallbladder cancer (GBC) patients by analyzing pre-treatment CT images using machine learning technology.

Methods

This retrospective study included 141 patients with pathologically confirmed GBC. After obtaining the pre-treatment CT images, manual segmentation of the tumor lesion was performed and LIFEx package was used to extract the tumor signature. Next, LASSO and Random Forest methods were used to optimize and model. Finally, the clinical information was combined to accurately predict the survival outcomes of GBC patients.

Results

Fifteen CT features were selected through LASSO and random forest. On the basis of relative importance GLZLM-HGZE, GLCM-homogeneity and NGLDM-coarseness were included in the final model. The hazard ratio of the CT-based model was 1.462(95% CI: 1.014–2.107). According to the median of risk score, all patients were divided into high and low risk groups, and survival analysis showed that high-risk groups had a poor survival outcome (P = 0.012). After inclusion of clinical factors, we used multivariate COX to classify patients with GBC. The AUC values in the test set and validation set for 3 years reached 0.79 and 0.73, respectively.

Conclusion

GBC survival outcomes could be predicted by radiomics based on LASSO and Random Forest.

CT-based nomogram for predicting survival after R0 resection in patients with gallbladder cancer: a retrospective multicenter analysis

OBJECTIVES

To establish a prognostic nomogram for patients undergoing R0 resection for gallbladder cancer based on preoperative CT.

METHODS

A total of 151 patients (64 males, 87 females; mean age, 73.26 years) with gallbladder cancer who underwent CT and surgery with margin-negative resection were retrospectively collected at two tertiary institutions. The demographic and radiologic parameters were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to identify independent prognostic factors. The final CT-based nomogram was constructed to predict prognosis after curative resection of gallbladder cancer. Calibration curves for the survival probabilities were obtained for internal validation.

RESULTS

Mass-forming type (hazard ratio [HR], 28.80), bile duct invasion (HR, 4.76), duodenal invasion (HR, 6.32), colon invasion (HR, 4.37), gallstones (HR, 0.09), and cholecystitis (HR, 2.56) were significant independent predictors for recurrence-free survival (p < .05). Mass-forming type (HR, 8.16, p < .001), bile duct invasion (HR, 2.92, p = .013), duodenal invasion (HR, 3.72, p = .012), and regional lymph node metastasis (HR, 2.07, p = .043) were independent predictors of poor cancer-specific survival (CSS) and were used to construct the nomogram. The nomogram showed a good predictive ability for the probabilities of survival on the calibration curves, and the concordance index of the model in predicting CSS was .768.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative CT findings could predict the prognosis of gallbladder cancer, and the CT-based nomogram accurately predicted CSS in patients with gallbladder cancer after attempted curative resection.

KEY POINTS

• Among the preoperative imaging features, mass-forming type, bile duct invasion, duodenal invasion, and regional lymph node metastasis were independent predictors of poor cancer-specific survival. • The nomogram constructed using preoperative CT findings showed a good predictive ability for the survival on calibration curves, and the concordance index of the model in predicting cancer-specific survival was 0.768.

The Impacts of Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index on Clinical Outcomes in Gallbladder Carcinoma

Background: Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is considered to be a prognostic marker in several cancers. However, the prognostic value of baseline pre-operative SII in gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) has not been evaluated. This study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of SII and generate a predictive nomogram.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 142 GBC patients who underwent surgical resection at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2003 and 2017. SII, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) were evaluated for their prognostic values. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used for the recognition of significant factors. Then, the cohort was randomly divided into the training and the validation set. A nomogram was constructed using SII and other selected indicators in the training set. C-index, calibration plots, and decision curve analysis were performed to assess the nomogram's clinical utility in both the training and the validation set.

Results: The predictive accuracy of SII (Harrell's concordance index [C-index]: 0.624), NLR (C-index: 0.626), and LMR (C-index: 0.622) was evaluated. The multivariate Cox model showed that SII was a superior independent predictor than NLR and LMR. SII level (≥600) (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.694, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.069–2.684, p = 0.024), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 level (≥37 U/ml) (HR: 2.407, 95% CI: 1.472–3.933, p < 0.001), and TNM stage (p = 0.026) were selected to construct a nomogram for predicting overall survival (OS). The predictive ability of this model was assessed by C-index (0.755 in the training set, 0.754 in the validation set). Good performance was demonstrated by the calibration plot. A high net benefit was proven by decision curve analysis (DCA).

Conclusion: SII is an independent prognostic indicator in GBC patients after surgical resection, and the nomogram based on it is a useful tool for predicting OS.

Hematological Indices of Distant Metastases and Prognostic Nomogram in Gastro-Pancreatic and Biliary Tract Cancers

Purpose

The predictive value of inflammatory parameters as indicators of poor overall survival (OS) has been well studied in various tumors. This study aimed to explore the association of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), among other parameters in upper gastro-intestinal tract tumors with distant metastases and OS.

Patients and Methods

Retrospective analysis was done for 945 patients (males n= 539, 57.0%) with a median of 57 years (range 19–90 years) treated at King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) for gastric (n=501), pancreatic (n=355), and biliary (n=89) carcinoma. NLR, and other parameters were calculated at primary presentation, and the association between the parameters with baseline distant metastases and OS was studied. The optimal cutoff value of NLR was based on receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. A prognostic nomogram was then constructed to explore how accurately the OS can be predicted.

Results

Patients with high baseline NLR (>3.2) had more distant metastases on presentation than patients with low NLR (≤3.2), (p-value <0.001). Age older than 57 years was associated with poor median OS (8.7 versus 10.6 months, p-value= 0.04). In addition, the location of the tumor as stomach versus biliary tract (Odds Ratio 0.443 95% CI 0.281–0.699), and pancreas versus biliary tract (Odds Ratio 1.193, 95% CI 0.749–1.902, p-value <0.001) proved to be significant. In multivariate analysis, age older than 57 years (p-value =0.0033, HR 0.792, 95% CI 0.678–0.925), location of the tumor (p-value <0.0001), presence of distant metastasis (p-value <0.0001, HR 2.063, 95% CI 1.760–2.419), and NLR (p-value <0.0001, HR 1.045, 95% CI 1.028–1.062) remained significant. Nomogram confirmed the significance of NLR as an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.31–2.01, p-value <0.0001).

Conclusion

Our results suggested that high baseline inflammatory markers are associated with distant metastases and poor OS. The utilization of this association in management of cancer patients still warrants further investigation.