Published online Apr 7, 2018. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i13.1451
Peer-review started: January 26, 2018
First decision: February 10, 2018
Revised: March 7, 2018
Accepted: March 10, 2018
Article in press: March 10, 2018
Published online: April 7, 2018
Processing time: 68 Days and 4.9 Hours
To investigate the prognostic value of the combination of preoperative plasma fibrinogen and CA199 in patients with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC).
The clinicopathological data of 154 GBC patients were retrospectively reviewed after surgery. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to verify the optimum cut-off values for plasma fibrinogen and CA199. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with GBC prognosis. Based on the HRs calculated via multivariate survival analyses, patients with elevated plasma fibrinogen and CA199 levels were allocated a score of 2.1; those with an elevated plasma fibrinogen level only were allocated a score of 1, those with an elevated CA199 level only were allocated a score of 1.1, and those with neither of these abnormalities were allocated a score of 0.
ROC curve analysis showed that the optimum cut-off values for preoperative plasma fibrinogen and CA199 were 3.47 g/L and 25.45 U/mL, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that elevated preoperative plasma fibrinogen and CA199 levels were significantly correlated with worse overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.711, 95%CI: 1.114-2.627, P = 0.014, and HR = 1.842, 95%CI: 1.111-3.056, P = 0.018). When we combined these two parameters, the area under the ROC curve increased from 0.735 (for preoperative plasma fibrinogen only) and 0.729 (for preoperative CA199 only) to 0.765. When this combined variable was added to the multivariate analysis, the combination of plasma fibrinogen and CA199 (P < 0.001), resection margin (P < 0.001) and TNM stage (P = 0.010) were independent prognostic factors for GBC.
The combination of plasma fibrinogen and CA199 may serve as a more efficient independent prognostic biomarker for postoperative GBC patients than either parameter alone.
Core tip: Elevated plasma fibrinogen and CA199 levels are associated with poor prognosis in patients with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). The prognostic value of the combination of plasma fibrinogen and CA199 for GBC has not been reported. The most important finding in this study was that the combination of preoperative plasma fibrinogen and CA199 levels was a better independent prognostic indicator for GBC than either parameter alone.