Prognostic impact of the C-reactive protein–albumin–lymphocyte index in patients with resected lung cancer associated with interstitial pneumonia

The C-reactive protein (CRP)–albumin–lymphocyte (CALLY) index is a composite score that evaluates inflammatory and nutritional status. This study aimed to determine its prognostic significance in patients with resected lung cancer associated with interstitial pneumonia (IP). Eighty-five patients with IP-associated resected lung cancers were included. The CALLY index was calculated as follows: (serum albumin × lymphocytes) / (CRP × 104). The patients were classified into low and high CALLY groups based on a cutoff value determined by the receiver operating characteristic curve for overall survival (OS). The associations between the CALLY index, patient characteristics, and postoperative survival were retrospectively investigated. The postoperative hospital stay was significantly longer (P = 0.015) and the incidence of postoperative pneumonia was significantly higher (P = 0.004) in the low CALLY group (n = 20, 23.5%) than in the high CALLY group (n = 65, 82.5%). The recurrence-free survival (RFS) and OS were significantly poorer in the low CALLY group (P = 0.045 and P = 0.020, respectively). A multivariate analysis identified the CALLY index as an independent prognosticator factor for RFS and OS (P = 0.013 and P = 0.004, respectively). The CALLY index is an independent prognostic factor in patients with IP-associated resected lung cancer.