Prognostic value of pretreatment plasma fibrinogen in patients with colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence showed that high pretreatment plasma fibrinogen could be used as a potential prognostic marker in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the conclusions were controversial. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the prognostic value of pretreatment plasma fibrinogen in patients with CRC. METHODS: Relevant studies were searched in the databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure up until December 10th, 2018. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the effects. RESULTS: A total of 17 articles with 6863 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results revealed that elevated pretreatment plasma fibrinogen was significantly associated with both poor overall survival (univariate analysis: HR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.47–1.95, P = .000; multivariate analysis: HR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.28–1.77, P = .000) and poor disease-free survival (univariate analysis: HR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.49–2.41, P = .000; multivariate analysis: HR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.52–2.86, P = .000) in patients with CRC. CONCLUSIONS: High pretreatment plasma fibrinogen level is significantly associated with worse survival outcomes in CRC patients. Plasma fibrinogen may be used as an effective prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target. Further studies are required to support these results.