Objective: To conduct a meta-analysis of prospective and retrospective studies to reveal the relationship between the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) and overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with lung cancer.
Methods: Correlative studies were included by searching the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed Cochrane Library until April 16, 2017. We combined the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the correlation between GPS and OS or PFS in patients with lung cancer.
Results: Ten studies involving 5,369 participants from several regions were identified through searching databases. In a pooled analysis of all studies, elevated GPS was associated with poorer OS (HR = 2.058; 95% CI, 1.51-2.80; p<0.05). However, the combined data showed no significant relationship between the GPS of 1 or 2, and PFS, respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that the patients with GPS ≥1 had poorer OS compared with those with GPS = 0 (HR = 2.01; 95% CI, 1.75-2.32; p<0.001). A similar trend was observed in patients receiving chemotherapy (HR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.17-2.36; p<0.05) and surgery (HR = 2.88; 95% CI, 1.59-5.22; p<0.001) when stratified by treatment.
Conclusions: Increased level of GPS may have a prognostic value in lung cancer. We detected a statistical difference in the association of elevated GPS and poorer OS, though the association was not significant in PFS settings. However, further studies are warranted to draw firm conclusions.
Keywords: GPS; Lung cancer; Prognosis; Systemic inflammation.