Prognostic Value of Albumin/Globulin Ratio in Patients with Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Patients Treated with Radical Nephroureterectomy

BACKGROUND/AIM: We investigated the prognostic role of the albumin/globulin ratio (AGR) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) undergoing radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). PATIENTS AND METHODS: AGR was calculated as follows: AGR=serum albumin/(serum total protein-serum albumin). Associations of preoperative AGR with disease-free (DFS) and overall (OS) survival were assessed in 105 patients with UTUC undergoing RNU. RESULTS: Patients with preoperative AGR <1.24 and ≥1.24 were classified into the low (n=46, 44%) and high (n=59, 56%) groups, respectively. The 5-year DFS and OS were 77% and 78%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, high preoperative AGR was an independent predictor for both better DFS (hazard ratio(HR)=0.34, p=0.038) and OS (HR=0.24, p=0.006). The 5-year DFS and OS were significantly longer in the high-AGR group than in the low-AGR group (90% vs. 60%; 89% vs. 65%, both p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The AGR has prognostic value in patients with UTUC undergoing RNU.