Serum prealbumin level as a biomarker of survival outcomes in patients with gastric cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have reported inconsistent results on the association between serum prealbumin level and survival outcomes in patients with gastric cancer. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the serum prealbumin level as a biomarker of survival outcomes in gastric cancer patients. METHODS Two independent reviewers conducted a thorough search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases until April 17, 2024. Studies reporting the association between serum prealbumin level and survival outcomes and presented the multivariable-adjusted relative risks for gastric cancer patients were included. The pooled HR and 95% CI were used to assess the strength of the association. RESULTS Twelve studies, with a total of 9,351 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The combined data showed that low serum prealbumin level was associated with shorter overall survival (HR 1.65; 95% CI 1.42-1.91) and disease-free survival (HR 1.39; 95% CI 1.14-1.70). Subgroup analysis showed that low serum prealbumin level significantly predicted poorer overall survival, regardless of patients' age, sample sizes, cutoff value for prealbumin level, and follow-up time. CONCLUSIONS Low serum prealbumin level is an independent prognostic biomarker for shorter survival outcomes in patients with gastric cancer. Assessing serum prealbumin levels could potentially improve risk stratification for this disease.