Disproportionately Low Albumin and High Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma Patients With Long-Duration Crohn's Disease

INTRODUCTION: Although Crohn's disease (CD) is a known risk factor of small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA), early diagnosis remains a significant clinical challenge. Identification of biomarkers for SBA may lead to early detection. METHODS: This is a retrospective study comparing albumin levels and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of patients with long-standing CD who underwent small bowel resection with and without malignancy. RESULTS: Forty-two patients with CD were included in this study (11 with SBA). Median NLR before surgery was 8.5 (interquartile range 6.2-31.3) in patients with SBA and 3.8 (interquartile range 2.8-5.3) for patients without SBA (P < 0.05). Mean albumin levels before surgery were significantly lower among patients with SBA compared with patients without SBA (2.6 +/- 60.6 g/dL vs 3.5 +/- 0.6 g/dL, respectively, P < 0.05), despite patients with SBA being under longer total parenteral nutrition treatment duration. DISCUSSION: CD patients with SBA diagnosis have increased NLR and lower albumin before surgery compared with CD patients without detection of SBA.