Fibrinogen–Albumin Ratio Index Exhibits Predictive Value of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Osteosarcoma

Abstract

Purpose Inflammatory response and nutritional status are associated with cancer development and progression. The present study aimed to evaluate the predictive ability of the fibrinogen–albumin ratio index (FARI) to the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for osteosarcoma. Patients and methods A retrospective analysis involving 752 consecutive osteosarcoma patients between 2012 and 2020 was performed. Data on serum fibrinogen, albumin levels, white blood cell count, platelet count, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) before and after NAC were collected. The predictive value of the NAC efficacy in osteosarcoma was assessed by constructing a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calculating the area under the curve (AUC). Prognosis and its predictive factors were analyzed by Kaplan–Meier method and COX regression analysis. Nomogram was established according to selected variables. The predictive performance of the nomogram model was assessed using C-statistics. Results A total of 203 patients were included. ROC analysis showed that both FARI before NAC (preFARI; AUC = 0.594, p = 0.032) and the change in FARI before and after NAC (dfFARI = preFARI-postFARI; AUC = 0.652, p = 0.001) exhibited more favorable predictive ability than ALP and other inflammation markers. The preFARI was divided into the high group (>6.1%) and the low group (≤6.1%) based on the optimal cut-off value of 6.1%. Patients with a high preFARI showed significantly decreased metastasis-free survival (MFS) and disease-free survival (DFS) (all p <0.01). In multivariable analysis, preFARI was an independent prognostic marker for patients with osteosarcoma. Predictive nomograms exhibited good ability to predict MFS (C-index = 0.748, se = 0.028) and DFS (C-index=0.727, se = 0.030). Conclusion Our findings indicated that FARI exhibits the favorable predictive ability for the efficacy of NAC for osteosarcoma, which could support clinicians and patients in clinical decision-making and treatment optimization.

The fibrinogen-albumin ratio as a novel prognostic factor for elderly patients with osteosarcoma

“…To be noted, in a recent study focusing on the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients only treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the results showed that osteosarcoma patients with a high FAR value are associated with more prolonger metastasis-free survival and disease-free survival, which is contrary to our findings. [19] This is largely due to the discrepancy in age between the 2 study subjects. In their study, the median age of enrolled osteosarcoma patients was 17 years old, which was significantly lower than in our study population.…”

“…Among them, the fibrinogen-albumin ratio (FAR), a novel inflammatory nutritional biomarker, has been considered as a great promising indicator for predicting the prognosis of various tumors. [16–18] To be noted, a recent study reported by Li et al [19] , has suggested that FAR was a proper predictive indicator for predicting the efficacy of NAC neoadjuvant chemotherapy of osteosarcoma patients. However, elderly osteosarcoma patients receiving different treatment strategies may show a high rate of resistance to therapy and a worse prognosis.…”

Fibrinogen-to-Albumin Ratio in Neonatal Sepsis

“…Multiple studies have demonstrated that there was a close correlation between FAR and cardiovascular disease, hemorrhagic transformation in acute ischemic stroke patients, and other diseases. [27][28][29][30] Cetin et al have confirmed that the FAR ratio is an independent predictor of long-term major cardiovascular adverse events in patients with acute coronary syndrome who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention. 31 The study conducted by Ruan et al demonstrated that FAR was linked to hemorrhagic transformation following acute ischemic stroke.…”