Pretreatment C‐reactive protein/albumin ratio is associated with poor survival in patients with stage IB‐IIA cervical cancer

Previous studies have shown that the C‐reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) is a prognostic indicator in multiple types of carcinomas. This study is the first to evaluate the prognostic significance of CAR in stage IB‐IIA cervical cancer patients treated with radical surgery, as well as that of several other inflammation‐based factors, including the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI). A total of 235 patients were enrolled in this study. The optimal cut‐off values of CAR and other inflammation‐based factors were determined by receiver operating characteristic curves. The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression model analysis were performed to determine the independent predictors of progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). At a cut‐off value of 0.15, patients with a high CAR had significantly shorter PFS and OS than those with a lower CAR (P < 0.001). A higher CAR was significantly associated with elevated scores of NLR and PLR and a decreased PNI (P < 0.001). Univariate analyses showed that elevated CAR preoperatively was significantly associated with poor survival; a similar trend was also noted for the NLR, PLR, and PNI. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that only CAR was an independent indicator for PFS (hazard ratio [HR]: 5.164; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.495–10.687; P < 0.001) and OS (HR: 4.729; 95% CI: 2.263–9.882; P < 0.001). In conclusion, preoperative CAR is a novel and superior predictor of poor survival in patients with stage IB‐IIA cervical cancer.