BACKGROUND

Numerous studies have reported the association between pretreatment serum aspartate transaminase to alanine transaminase (AST/ALT) ratio and prognosis in multiple cancers. However, the results remain controversial and no consensus has been reached. Thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to quantitatively assess the prognostic value of pretreatment AST/ALT ratio in solid tumors.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted by using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Wanfang databases, as well as several trial registry platforms, including ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, up to April 5, 2019. HR and 95% CI for overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were calculated to estimate the effect size.

RESULTS

A total of 18 studies with 9,400 patients were included. Overall, a high level of pretreatment AST/ALT ratio was significantly associated with worse OS (pooled HR=1.70, 95% CI=1.38-2.09). The statistical significance was observed in all cancer types, including renal cell carcinoma (pooled HR=1.64, 95% CI=1.30-2.05), liver cancer (pooled HR=1.16, 95% CI=1.04-1.29), urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (pooled HR=1.96, 95% CI=1.53-2.51), bladder cancer (pooled HR =2.66, 95% CI=1.69-4.20), and other cancers (pooled HR=1.44, 95% CI=1.18-1.76). Moreover, an increased level of serum AST/ALT ratio predicted unfavorable CSS (pooled HR=2.07, 95% CI=1.74-2.46) and RFS (pooled HR=1.51, 95% CI=1.15-1.99).

CONCLUSION

Elevated level of serum AST/ALT ratio before treatment is significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes of OS, CSS, and RFS in patients with solid tumors. Pretreatment AST/ALT ratio can serve as a useful prognostic predictor for malignant patients.