Elevated C-reactive protein to albumin ratio is a promising predictive biomarker for prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma.
Chunhua Xu, Yifan Guo, Xiaoni Chen et al.
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In 30 seconds
This meta-analysis assessed whether baseline C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) predicts prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). It included 10 studies comprising 2478 patients. Elevated CAR was significantly associated with poor prognosis or recurrence. Pooled prognostic performance included sensitivity of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.69-0.77), specificity of 0.69 (95% CI: 0.64-0.74), and an SROC area under the curve of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.73-0.81). Subgroup analysis found greater predictive value for overall survival among patients in China.
Key findings
- Across 10 studies and 2478 patients, high baseline CAR was associated with poor prognosis or RCC recurrence.
- Pooled sensitivity was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.69-0.77) and specificity was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.64-0.74).
- The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 6.0 (95% CI: 5.0-8.0), with an SROC AUC of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.73-0.81).
- Subgroup analysis indicated stronger prediction of overall survival in RCC patients in China.
Why it matters
CAR is derived from inflammatory and nutritional markers and may provide prognostic information in RCC. The pooled results suggest moderate ability to distinguish patients with poorer outcomes, while the association with recurrence and survival could help inform risk assessment. Its performance and applicability should be interpreted in light of the included studies and subgroup variation.
What to keep in mind
The meta-analysis pooled only 10 studies; the abstract does not report study-level design details or the extent of variation between studies.