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Joyce F. Liu, MD, MPH
Joyce F. Liu, MD, MPH
Posted: Monday, April 7, 2025
C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum albumin (Alb) may be superior to other inflammation-based indices when it comes to detecting ovarian cancer severity, according to a recent study published in Cureus. The prospective study sought to determine if preoperative C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratios (CRP/Alb) could give any insight into clinicopathological parameters in patients with ovarian cancer.
Archana Barik, MD, and colleagues at Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur, India, looked at 94 patients with histopathologically confirmed ovarian cancer. The researchers evaluated pretreatment CRP and Alb levels, as well as computed tomography scans, ultrasounds, and histopathological reports of the tumor mass, and compared these with parameters such as tumor stage, metastasis, lymph node involvement, and ascites.
They found that the median CRP/Alb ratios were “significantly higher” in patients where these parameters were more severe, such as patients with metastasis, higher tumor grade, or advanced disease stages (1.43 vs. 0.78, 1.46 vs. 0.52, and stages I/II (0.49/0.95) vs stages III/IV (1.47/1.58), respectively; all P < .001). The optimal cutoff value for the CRP/Alb ratio was found to be 1.08, with patients with higher ratios found to be at increased risk of poor clinicopathological features. Additionally, elevated CA-125 levels were seen in patients with more advanced disease and were found to be significantly associated with higher ratios of CRP/Alb.
The study authors concluded that CRP/Alb ratios could serve as a valuable biomarker of the severity of ovarian cancer. The authors also cautioned that the study was limited due to its small sample size; in the future, a larger, multicenter study with a more diverse patient population could provide more evidence towards CRP/Alb ratios’ inclusion in preoperative assessments of patients’ ovarian cancer severity. They concluded, “The preoperative CRP/Alb ratio is proposed as a valuable addition to routine tumor marker assessment in ovarian cancer.”
Disclosures: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit cureus.com.
