Table 4 Meta-analysis of the association between the C-reactive protein to albumin ratio and clinicopathological characteristics

Age (> median vs. < median)

4

1.470 (1.028–2.102)

0.007

15.853

0.312

Gender (male vs. female)

7

1.452 (1.167–1.807)

0.001

18.219

0.291

Location (colon vs. rectum)

5

1.724 (1.156–2.570)

0.008

35.14

0.187

Location (right vs. left)

3

1.106 (0.586–2.089)

0.756

49.317

0.139

Differentiation (poor vs. mod./well)

5

1.611 (1.195–2.172)

0.002

0

0.587

Stage (III/IV vs. I/II)

2

2.255 (1.642–3.095)

< 0.001

0

0.688

pre-treatment CEA (high vs. low)^a

3

2.111 (1.028–4.337)

0.042

85.982

0.001

Tumor size (≥ 50 mm vs. < 50 mm)

1

3.687 (2.608–5.211)

< 0.001

-

-

Lymphatic invasion (yes vs. no)

4

1.020 (0.659–1.579)

0.929

79.615

0.002

NLR (high vs. low)^b

2

2.452 (1.381–4.354)

0.002

42.753

0.186

mGPS (1 vs. 0)

5

21.405 (6.468–70.835)

< 0.001

66.499

0.018