Post-chemotherapy C-reactive protein/albumin ratio predicts prognosis in stage II-III colorectal cancer

Figure 1 Study design and flowchart.

Figure 2 Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to evaluate the predictive value of each inflammatory biomarker for overall survival in all recruited patients with colorectal cancer. A: C-reactive protein/albumin ratio; B: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; C: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio; D: Systemic immune-inflammation index. CAR: C-reactive protein/albumin ratio; NLR: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; PLR: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio; SII: Systemic immune-inflammation index; AUC: Area under the curve.

Figure 3 Overall survival curves for patients with stage IIB-IIIC colorectal cancer by an inflammation-based prognostic marker at the preoperative and adjuvant chemotherapy time points (n = 445). Patients were stratified into two groups by C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). A: Preoperative CAR; B: Adjuvant chemotherapy CAR; C: Preoperative NLR; D: Adjuvant chemotherapy NLR; E: Preoperative PLR; F: Adjuvant chemotherapy PLR; G: Preoperative SII; H: Adjuvant chemotherapy SII. CAR: C-reactive protein/albumin ratio; NLR: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; PLR: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio; SII: Systemic immune-inflammation index.

Figure 4 Overall survival curves for patients by longitudinal changes in systemic inflammation. A-D: Patients were stratified into the low (preoperatively and post-chemotherapy low inflammatory state), normalized (preoperatively high but post-chemotherapy low inflammatory state), high (persistently high inflammatory state), and elevated (preoperatively low but post-chemotherapy high inflammatory state) groups. CAR: C-reactive protein/albumin ratio; NLR: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; PLR: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio; SII: Systemic immune-inflammation index.