Preoperative C‑reactive protein‑albumin‑lymphocyte index predicts survival outcomes in patients with stage I‑III colorectal cancer: A retrospective cohort study

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The present study aimed to investigate the value of the preoperative C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index in predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates in patients with stage I-III CRC. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 255 patients with stage I-III CRC who underwent radical resection. The optimal cutoff value of the CALLY index was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and patients were stratified into high- and low-CALLY groups accordingly to assess its prognostic value for RFS and OS. The CALLY index had an area under the curve of 0.739 for predicting CRC prognosis. With a cutoff value of 6.790, patients in the high-CALLY group exhibited significantly better RFS and OS rates compared with those in the low-CALLY group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed CALLY as an independent prognostic factor. In conclusion, the preoperative CALLY index is an effective prognostic biomarker for predicting RFS and OS rates in patients with stage I-III CRC, demonstrating potential clinical utility.