C-reactive protein to albumin ratio is a prognostic factor for patients with cStage II/III esophageal squamous cell cancer.

C-reactive protein to albumin (CRP/Alb) ratio, a novel inflammation-based prognostic score, was first developed as a prognostic score for septic patients. Recent reports show that CRP/Alb ratio is also a prognostic score for cancer patients, including esophageal cancer. However, the role of CRP/Alb ratio for those with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and the changes of CRP/Alb ratio around NAC have never been discussed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the significance of CRP/Alb ratio around NAC for patients with cStage II/III esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). A total of 149 patients who were diagnosed as cStage II/III ESCC were enrolled between February 2007 and December 2014. We retrospectively investigated the relation between pre-NAC and post-NAC CRP/Alb ratio and short and long outcomes. The optimal cutoff level for pre-NAC and post-NAC CRP/Alb ratio was 0.030 and 0.048, respectively. There was no relation between CRP/Alb ratio level and postoperative outcomes. Post-NAC CRP/Alb ratio < 0.048 had a significantly higher overall survival rate than CRP/Alb ratio ≥0.048 (P< 0.001). Univariate analysis showed that cT, cN, pre-NAC CRP/Alb ratio < 0.030 and post-NAC CRP/Alb ratio < 0.048 was prognostic factors (P= 0.003, P= 0.022, P= 0.033, and P< 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that cT and post-NAC CRP/Alb ratio < 0.048 was independent prognostic factors (P= 0.030 and P< 0.001, respectively). Post-NAC CRP/Alb ratio is an independent prognostic factor in patients with cStage II/III ESCC.