Ratio of C-reactive protein to albumin is a prognostic factor for operable non-small-cell lung cancer in elderly patients

Purpose The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate inflammation-based scoring as a prognostic factor for operable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in elderly patients. Methods We collected preoperative data from 108 patients aged above 80 years with NSCLC. Inflammation-based scoring systems, including the C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) and the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), as well as other clinicopathological factors, were evaluated as potential prognostic factors. Results The median patient age was 82 (range 80-93) years and the 5-year overall and disease-specific survival rates were 49.7 and 73.9%, respectively. The cut-off value for CAR was calculated using a receiver operator characteristics analysis and patients were dichotomized accordingly. Patients with a low CAR had significantly higher overall survival than those with a high CAR (< 0.028; 65.2% vs. >= 0.028; 31.0%, respectively; p < 0.01). In univariate analysis, female gender, a low Charlson comorbidity index of 0 or 1 and a low CAR were significantly identified in overall survival. On multivariate analysis, a low CAR (p = 0.03, hazard ratio: 2.13, 95% confidence interval 1.074-4.295) was identified as a significant prognostic factor. Conclusion The preoperative CAR is a useful predictor of overall survival and could be a simple prognostic tool to help identify resectable NSCLC in elderly patients.