The C‐reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio Predicts Long‐Term Outcomes in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer After Pancreatic Resection

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>The C‐reactive protein to albumin (CRP/Alb) ratio, a novel inflammation‐based prognostic score, is associated with outcomes in septic patients. The prognostic value of CRP/Alb ratio has not been established in cancer patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the significance of CRP/Alb ratio in therapeutic outcome after pancreatic resection for pancreatic cancer.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>The study comprised 113 patients who had undergone pancreatic resection for pancreatic cancer between April 2001 and December 2011. We retrospectively investigated the relation between CRP/Alb ratio and disease‐free as well as overall survival.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>The optimal cut‐off level of the CRP/Alb ratio was 0.03. For disease‐free survival, preoperative biliary drainage (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.011), advanced tumor‐node‐metastasis (TNM) classification (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.002), and higher CRP/Alb ratio (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.049) by univariate analysis, and advanced TNM classification (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.003) by multivariate analysis, were independent and significant predictors of cancer recurrence. For overall survival, preoperative biliary drainage (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.012), advanced TNM classification (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.001), and higher CRP/Alb ratio (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.023) by univariate analysis, and advanced TNM classification (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.003) and higher CRP/Alb ratio (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.035) by multivariate analysis, were independent and significant predictors of poor patient outcome.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>The CRP/Alb ratio may be an independent and significant indicator of poor long‐term outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer after pancreatic resection.</jats:p></jats:sec>