The impact of albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) on the prognosis of various human cancers has not been well established. Here, a systemic review and meta-analysis has been performed to comprehensively assess the relationships between AGR and lymph node metastasis (LNM) or overall survival (OS). Systematical search through six electronic databases has been carried out to identify reports involving the role of AGR on OS and LNM in human cancers. Hazard ratio (HR), odd ratio (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were evaluated through meta-analysis according to standard steps. Of 403 studies retrieved, 14 eligible studies with 4136 patients were included in this study. The analysis based on random-effect model demonstrated that low AGR was significantly associated with poor OS in various cancers (HR=1.87, 95% CI 1.50-2.34; P < 0.001). Subsequent results showed a significant increase in the risk of LNM in the low AGR group when compared with high AGR group (HR=2.24; 95% CI=1.49-3.36; P<0.001). To conclusion, this study suggested that AGR was associated with OS and LNM in cancer patients and AGR may be a potential marker to assess prognosis of cancer patients. However, a large scale of samples and prospective studies are needed in the future to validate the role of AGR in practice.
Keywords: albumin to globulin ratio; cancer; lymph node metastasis; meta-analysis; prognosis.