The advanced lung cancer inflammation index is a novel independent prognosticator in colorectal cancer patients after curative resection

BACKGROUND: The advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI), which comprehensively evaluates the patient body composition and inflammation/nutritional status, is reportedly associated with the patient outcome in lung cancer. However, the clinical significance in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients after curative resection remains unclear. METHODS: A total of 813 CRC patients after curative resection between April 2005 and June 2019 in a single institution were retrospectively enrolled. The association of the preoperative ALI (calculated as follows: body mass index × albumin value/neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio) with clinicopathological factors, postoperative complications, and survival was analyzed. RESULTS: A low ALI was significantly associated with male gender, older age, a higher depth of tumor invasion, progressed TNM stage, and preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) positivity. Both postoperative complications and severe complications occurred more frequently in the ALI‐low group than in the ALI‐high group (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively), especially postoperative complications in stage III patients (P < .001) and severe complications in stages II and III patients (P = .024 and P = .004, respectively). In addition, a low ALI was an independent predictor of a poor overall survival (hazard ratio: 2.30, 95% confidence interval: 1.52–3.50, P < .001) and relapse‐free survival (hazard ratio: 1.73, 95% confidence interval: 1.22–2.44, P = .002), especially in older patients, and in patients without lymph node metastasis or severe postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that preoperative ALI may serve as a novel independent predictive index for severe postoperative complications and recurrence in CRC patients after curative resection.