Factor in resectable non-small cell lung cancer

Background: Over the past decade, the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), which is based on serum C-reactive protein and albumin levels, has been reported to be associated with the prognosis of patients with several types of inoperable and operable cancers. However, its applicability to operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not yet been established. Methods: We retrospectively collected data from patients with pathological stage I or II NSCLC who underwent complete resection. A total of 1048 patients were categorized as either GPS-0 (n = 817 [78.0%]), GPS-1 (184 [17.6%]), or GPS-2 (47 [4.5%]). Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the relationship between prognosis and GPS status. Results: The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 91.2%, 78.3%, and 75.8% for GPS-0, GPS-1, and GPS-2, respectively. There were significant differences in OS between GPS-0 and GPS-1 (p < 0.001) and between GPS-0 and GPS-2 (p < 0.001). Ten variables demonstrated to be associated with OS in a univariate analysis were subjected to a multivariate analysis. The results showed that male sex (p = 0.031), vascular invasion (p < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (p < 0.001), and GPS (p = 0.025) were significantly associated with OS. Conclusions: A high GPS is significantly associated with poor OS. Although the biological mechanism that underlies this association is not clear, this inflammation-based score may be a useful indicator of the prognosis in patients with resectable NSCLC.