C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in immunochemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer: Prognostic value, clinical challenges, and future directions

Figure 1 Schematic of the implications of elevated C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in advanced gastric cancer receiving immunochemotherapy. The figure included in this manuscript was created by the authors using BioRender. An elevated C-reactive protein/albumin ratio reflects increased systemic inflammation and reduced albumin levels, and is associated with immune dysregulation, poor physiological and nutritional status, and aggressive tumor and metabolic features. These changes may contribute to reduced treatment tolerance, rapid clinical deterioration, and poor prognosis. C-reactive protein/albumin ratio should be interpreted primarily as a prognostic marker rather than a treatment-specific predictive marker, highlighting the need for further validation in immunochemotherapy settings. CAR: C-reactive protein/albumin ratio; PD-1: Programmed death-1.