Importance of systemic inflammation and hematological indices in gastric cancer staging

Aim: In this study, we aimed to assess whether preoperative C-reactive protein (CRP), hematological parameters, and indices can predict the stage of patients with gastric cancer. Material and Methods: Five hundred and thirty-six patients with gastric cancer (stages I-III) were enrolled as case series analyses in this study. Results: Patients with adenocarcinoma were older, leukocyte and albumin levels were lower, and CRP values were higher than in signet ring cell carcinoma patients. There was a statistically significant difference between the two pathological subgroups in terms of gender and tumor stages. Platelet (PLT) and PLT/lymphocyte ratios were found to be high in the advanced stage TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors (TNM) stage 3A, 3B, and 3C. The incidence of adenocarcinoma was found to be higher in the early stage compared to the late stage. Discussion: Preoperative high CRP, low leukocyte, and albumin levels in patients with gastric cancer may be an indicator to distinguish signet ring cell carcinoma from adenocarcinoma. The preoperative high platelet and PLT/lymphocyte ratio may be useful predictive factors for differentiating in patients with stage 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B and stage 3A, 3B, and 3C in gastric cancer.