Glasgow prognostic score as a prognostic factor in patients undergoing curative surgery for colorectal cancer

Systemic inflammatory responses have been reported to be independent predictors of cancer-specific survival in colorectal cancer. The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), which is an inflammation-based prognostic factor, is defined by the presence of elevated C-reactive protein and hypoalbuminemia. The purpose of this study was to estimate whether GPS can be a prognostic factor in patients undergoing curative surgery for colorectal cancers.

We studied 166 patients with stage II (TNM classification) and 200 patients with stage III who had undergone curative surgery for colorectal cancer between 1999 and 2004. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between clinicopathological factors and prognosis.

Among patients with stage II, location and GPS were independent factors on multivariate analysis. In particular, GPS was revealed to be the strongest factor in cancer-specific survival (HR: 7.43, 95% confidence interval, CI: 2.86-19.30, p < 0.0001). On the other hand, among patients with stage III, the number of metastatic lymph nodes was the only independent factor on multivariate analysis (HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.07-1.20, p < 0.0001). GPS was not a prognostic factor in cancer-specific survival in stage III.

Among patients with stage II, GPS was predictive of cancer-specific survival.