Background: The novel CRP–albumin–lymphocyte (CALLY) index is an improved immunonutritive scoring system, based on serum C-reactive protein (CRP), serum albumin, and the lymphocyte count. It has been determined as a prognostic index for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. This study was conducted to explore the prognostic value of the CALLY index in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) undergoing surgery.
Methods: Patients with EOC treated with surgery as an initial therapy were enrolled to form the training and validation cohorts. The effect of the CALLY index on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. The CALLY index was calculated as: (Albumin × Lymphocyte)/ (CRP × 10⁴).
Results: There were 190 patients in the training cohort and 120 in the validation cohort, respectively. With a cut-off value of 3, patients were classified into the CALLY < 3 and CALLY ≥ 3 groups. The CALLY index ≥ 3 was associated with better survival outcomes both in the training and validation cohorts. The univariate and multivariate COX analysis revealed that FIGO stage, lymphatic metastasis, and CALLY index were the prognostic factors for both OS and DFS.
Conclusion: The CALLY index is a novel prognostic biomarker for patients with EOC after surgery. The novel CALLY index could select appropriate patients with poor prognosis for postoperative adjuvant therapy.
Keywords: epithelial ovarian cancer, CALLY index, biomarker, survival