Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) in patients with breast cancer: a meta-analysis

Abstract Background The fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) has been extensively studied for its role in predicting the prognosis of breast cancer (BC) patients; however, existing findings are conflicting. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to identify the significance of FAR in predicting BC prognosis. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases until May 25, 2024. The value of FAR for predicting overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in BC was examined by calculating the combined hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Correlations between FAR and clinicopathological factors were analyzed using combined odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. Results Eight studies involving 4094 patients were included in this work. As shown by our combined data, increased FAR significantly predicted poor OS (HR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.83–4.39, p