Prognostic value of the Glasgow prognostic score in lung cancer: evidence from 10 studies

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. 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. 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. 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