Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 20, 2025

The Colon-26 Carcinoma Tumor-bearing Mouse as a Model for the Study of Cancer Cachexia
Published on: November 30, 2016
One-Year Mortality in Patients with Cancer Cachexia: Association with Albumin and Total Protein
Xiao-Yue Liu1,2,3,4, Xi Zhang1,2,3,5, Guo-Tian Ruan1,2,3
1Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery/Department of Clinical Nutrition, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100038, People's Republic of China.
Purpose:
Serum albumin can indicate the onset of cancer cachexia, provide information about a patient's nutritional status, and serve as a biomarker for the prognosis of patients with cancer cachexia. However, the relationship between serum albumin levels and mortality in patients with cancer cachexia remains unclear. We aimed to examine the association of albumin and total protein with 1-year mortality in patients with cancer cachexia.
Patients And Methods:
We conducted a nested case-control study using data from a multicenter cancer clinical survey from 2013 to 2018. In total, 266 patients with cancer cachexia who survived for <1 year and 266 patients who survived for ≥1 year were included in this study. The participants were matched by age, sex, tumor type, tumor stage, and hospital site. The crude and adjusted risks of 1-year survival were estimated using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) using logistic regression, with or without adjustment for covariates.
Results:
Logistic regression analysis revealed a significantly negative linear association between albumin level and 1-year mortality in patients with cancer cachexia (p < 0.001). An L-shaped relationship existed between total protein and 1-year mortality, with a turning point at 70.4 g/L. When albumin was divided into quartiles, Q3 (OR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.24, 0.68; p < 0.001) and Q4 (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.55; p < 0.001) were associated with higher 1-year survival than Q1 among patients with cancer cachexia. When total protein was divided into quartiles, Q2 (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.64; p < 0.001), Q3 (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.33, 0.96; p = 0.035), and Q4 (OR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.72; p = 0.002) were associated with higher 1-year survival than Q1 among patients with cancer cachexia.
Conclusion:
Serum albumin and total protein may predict 1-year survival. Future clinical studies should lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of serum protein levels in patients with cancer cachexia.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Survival Analysis
Actuarial Approach
Consider the example of a high-risk surgical procedure with significant early-stage mortality. A two-year clinical study is conducted,...
Factors Affecting Protein-Drug Binding: Patient-Related Factors
Age stands as a key determinant in protein-drug binding. Neonates, characterized by low albumin content, experience heightened concentrations of unbound drugs such as phenytoin and...
Overview of Protein Metabolism
Amino acids play various roles in the body once they are absorbed into cells. They are restructured...
Chronic Kidney Disease III: Interprofessional Care

