Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Tools for the non-invasive assessment of colorectal cancer (CRC) prognosis have profound significance. Although plasma coagulation tests have been investigated in a variety of tumours, the prognostic value of the prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in CRC has not been discussed. Our study objective was to explore the prognostic significance of preoperative PT and APTT in CRC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of preoperative coagulation indexes including PT, PTA, INR, APTT, FIB, TT, PLT, NLR and PLR in 250 patients with CRC was performed. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to demonstrate the prognostic value of these preoperative coagulation indexes. RESULTS: The overall survival (OS, p<0.05) and disease-free survival (DFS, p<0.05) of CRC patients with lower PT and APTT levels were significantly prolonged. Based on univariate analysis, PT levels (p<0.001, p<0.001), PTA levels (p=0.001, p=0.001), APTT levels (p=0.001, p<0.001), INR levels (p<0.001, p<0.001), fibrinogen levels (p=0.032, p=0.036), tumour status (p=0.005, p=0.003), nodal status (p<0.001, p<0.001), metastasis status (p<0.001, p<0.001) and TNM stages (p<0.001, p<0.001) were remarkably associated with DFS and OS. Multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that the levels of PT (HR: 2.699, p=0.006) and APTT (HR: 1.942, p=0.015), metastasis status (HR: 2.091, p= 0.015) and TNM stage (HR: 7.086, p=0.006) were independent predictors of survival in CRC. In the whole cohort, the enrolled patients were then divided into three groups according to their PT and APTT levels. The OS and DFS differed notably among the low-risk (PT<11.85 sec and APTT<25.85 sec), medium-risk (PT≥11.85 sec or APTT≥25.85 sec), and high-risk (PT≥11.85 sec and APTT≥25.85 sec) groups. CONCLUSION: Elevated levels of preoperative PT and APTT were predictors of poor outcomes in CRC patients. Moreover, the combination of preoperative PT and APTT can be a new prognostic stratification approach for more precise clinical staging of CRC.