Abstract
The role of inflammatory cytokines in the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been evaluated. However, the impact of perioperative changes on prognosis has not yet been evaluated. The aim was to investigate the correlation between postoperative-to-preoperative ratios of inflammatory cytokines and cancer‑specific survival (CSS) rates in patients with CRC who underwent curative resection. In this retrospective cohort study, patients with CRC who underwent radical resection between September 2019 and December 2020 were analyzed. The effects of the postoperative-to-preoperative ratios of inflammatory cytokines (including IFN-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17, and TNF-α) and six other clinical factors on cancer‑specific survival were assessed through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Survival curves were generated via Kaplan-Meier analysis. A total of 153 CRC patients who underwent radical resection were included in this study. Univariate analysis revealed that age (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.05, p = 0.031), tumor stage (HR = 3.61, p < 0.001), and the IL-1β ratio (HR = 1.00, p = 0.012) were significant prognostic factors. Multivariate analysis indicated that both the IL-1β ratio (adjusted HR = 1.05, p = 0.037) and tumor stage (adjusted HR = 3.83, p < 0.001) remained independent prognostic factors. Kaplan-Meier analysis confirmed the significant association between a high IL-1β ratio and poorer cancer‑specific survival. The postoperative-to-preoperative IL-1β ratio may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for patients with CRC following radical resection, with higher ratios indicating poorer cancer‑specific survival; however, these exploratory findings require validation in prospective cohorts with standardized sampling protocols.