Elevated preoperative triglyceride glucose index and inflammatory markers correlate with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer: a retrospective study

Introduction: Inflammation and insulin resistance (IR) have been shown to be associated with colorectal cancer (CRC). Nevertheless, the prognostic value of the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, a marker of IR, in combination with inflammatory markers, remains unclear. To this end, the present study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance and predictive performance of the TyG index, in conjunction with inflammatory markers, in postoperative CRC patients. Materials and Methods Patients who underwent radical resection for CRC were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical data were obtained from medical records and telephone follow-ups, and patients were assigned to either a high- or low-TyG index group. The primary endpoint of this study was overall survival (OS). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify independent prognostic factors and to assess the clinical utility of the TyG index and inflammatory markers, based on which a predictive model was established. Results A total of 314 CRC patients were included in this study, with 138 in the high TyG index group and 176 in the low TyG index group. Of note, patients with a high TyG index had significantly shorter median OS than those with a low TyG index (Not reached vs. not reached; P  < 0.0001; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.31, 95% CI 0.19–0.50). Importantly, the TyG index, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), C-reactive protein (CRP), triglyceride levels, and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (all P  < 0.05) were identified as independent prognostic predictors. Conclusion Collectively, we established a model with high clinical utility and relevance for predicting CRC prognosis. Within this model, the TyG index and LMR emerged as independent prognostic risk factors for patients with CRC.