The High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio Predicts Long-Term Oncologic Outcomes after Curative Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), while albumin is known to be a disease severity index of the malnutrition status in HCC patients. The present study investigated the association between postoperative hsCRP/albumin ratio and both overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) following HCC surgery. This retrospective observational study examined the medical records of 389 patients who underwent resection for HCC between 2004 and 2013. Postoperative day 0-1 hsCRP/albumin ratio was collected, and the optimal postoperative mortality cut-off point was derived using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. A postoperative hsCRP/albumin ratio increase of 1.0 was associated with a 1.171-fold increase in mortality (hazard ratio (HR): 1.171, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.072-1.278, p < 0.001) and a 1.19-fold increase in recurrence (HR: 1.190, 95% CI: 1.108-1.278, p < 0.001). The hsCRP/albumin ratio cut-off point was found to be 0.625 and 0.500. When patients were grouped by this cut-off point, the > 0.625 group showed a 2.257-fold increase in mortality (HR: 2.257, 95% CI: 1.470-3.466, p < 0.001), and the > 0.500 group showed a 1.518-fold increase in recurrence (HR: 1.518, 95% CI: 1.125-2.050, p = 0.006).