Predictive value of monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and tumor markers in colorectal cancer and their relationship with clinicopathological characteristics.

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of monocyte (M) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (MHR) and tumor markers in colorectal cancer (CRC) and their correlation with clinicopathological characteristics.

Methods: Hematology test data and medical records of 202 CRC patients and 201 healthy subjects were collected retrospectively. The diagnostic efficacy of MHR was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and risk factors for CRC were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression.

Results: CRC patients had significantly higher M, MHR, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) levels, but significantly lower HDL-C levels than healthy controls (all P < 0.05). Additionally, MHR was positively correlated with tumor differentiation in CRC patients (P = 0.049); CEA and CA199 levels in CRC patients increased with increased stage, lymph node metastasis and tumor size ≥ 5 cm (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, high levels of MHR, CA199 and CEA were independent risk factors for CRC. The area under ROC curve of MHR combined with CEA and CA199 was 0.882/0.869 for the diagnosis of CRC, respectively.

Conclusion: This is the first study to explore the predictive value of MHR in CRC, and its continuous increase is an independent risk factor for CRC. MHR is a promising predictor for CRC progression along with CA199 and CEA.