SynthesisBMC gastroenterology2025
The prognostic value of AST-lymphocyte ratio index in liver cancer patients treated with TACE: a systematic review and single-center retrospective study.
Synthesis in BMC gastroenterology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Gamma-glutamyltransferase and the survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients after transarterial chemoembolization: a meta‑analysis and systematic review.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Pooled it
- A blood-biomarker based CTC-ALRI score predicts recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma patients following curative resection.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
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9 authors.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsAST-lymphocyte ratio index (ALRI) has been proposed as a potentially prognostic indicator of liver cancer patients underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in studies, but the numbers were small and the results were controversial. In this study, we systematically assessed the prognostic value of ALRI in liver cancer patients treated with TACE by integrating meta-analysis with single-center clinical analysis.
methodsWe conducted a systematic literature search across multiple databases and evaluated the quality of included studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We employed a fixed-effect model to calculate the pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Publication bias were evaluated using funnel plot, Begg's and Egger's tests. Concurrently, we integrated clinical data from 127 HCC patients treated with TACE at our center, employed X-tile software to ascertain the optimal cutoff value for ALRI, and analyzed the relationship between ALRI and clinical characteristics as well as overall survival (OS), using chi-square tests, Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and Cox proportional hazards models.
resultsThe meta-analysis included 7 studies, and the pooled hazard ratio (HR) indicated that elevated ALRI was significantly associated with poorer OS in liver cancer patients underwent TACE (HR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.46-2.1, P<0.01), with no significant heterogeneity (P = 0.542, I
conclusionsAn increase in ALRI may serve as an independent prognostic indicator of poor outcomes in liver cancer patients undergoing TACE. While it offers benefits such as being non-invasive and cost-effective, further large-scale, multicenter, prospective studies are essential to validate the efficacy of ALRI and establish standardized cutoff values for clinical application.
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