Gustave Roussy Immune (GRIm) score as a novel prognostic biomarker for gastrointestinal cancers - a meta-analysis of sixteen studies

Q: What was the main objective of this study regarding the GRIm score?

To systematically assess the association between pretreatment GRIm score and survival outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.

Q: Which databases and time range were used for the literature search?

The search used Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase from inception to January 15, 2026.

Q: What outcomes did the meta-analysis evaluate, and what did it find for high GRIm scores?

It assessed overall survival (OS), PFS, RFS, DFS and CSS. High GRIm scores were linked to significantly worse OS, PFS, DFS and CSS, while one study reported no independent prognostic significance for RFS.

Sep 22, 2026

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The study systematically evaluates whether pretreatment Gustave Roussy immune (GRIm) score predicts survival outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. A literature search across Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase (from inception to January 15, 2026) pooled hazard ratios using a random-effects model. Sixteen studies (n=4,904) showed high GRIm score associated with worse overall survival, PFS, DFS and CSS, while one study found no independent prognostic value for RFS.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Study Context and Rationale

Epidemiology and current limitations

Need for improved prognostic indicators

Deng et al. World Journal of Surgical Oncology (2026) 24:211 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12957-026-04320-8](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12957-026-04320-8) World Journal of Surgical Oncology RESEARCH Open Access Gustave Roussy Immune (GRIm) score as a novel prognostic biomarker for gastrointestinal cancers: a meta-analysis of sixteen studies Xiaolian Deng1†, Tingting Yan1†, Huayang Pang2, Jinlai Wei3* and Chunxue Li1* Abstract Background The Gustave Roussy immune (GRIm) score has been widely recognized as a promising prognostic biomarker in various malignancies. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the association between pretreatment GRIm score and survival outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted using electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase) from inception to January 15, 2026. The primary endpoints included long-term survival outcomes such as overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), progressionfree survival (PFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) . Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. The meta-analysis was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD420261291292) . Results This meta-analysis included 16 studies comprising 4,904 patients with GI cancers. The pooled outcomes demonstrated that patients with a high GRIm score had significantly worse OS (15 studies; HR = 2 . 01; 95% CI: 1.69– 2.40; P < 0. 01; I² = 63%), PFS (8 studies; HR = 1 . 57; 95% CI: 1 .29–1. 91; P < 0. 01; I² = 48%), DFS (2 studies; HR = 2 . 15; 95% CI: 1 .35–3.42; P < 0. 01; I² = 55%) and CSS (2 studies; HR = 1 . 68; 95% CI: 1 .17–2.41; P < 0. 01; I² = 4%) compared to those with a low score. However, a single study assessing RFS reported that the GRIm score lacked independent prognostic significance for this endpoint (HR = 1 . 69; 95% CI: 0 .77–3. 73; P = 0 . 19) . Conclusions Our findings suggest that the pretreatment GRIm score may serve as a prognostic biomarker in patients with GI cancers. However, further high-quality studies are required to robustly validate its prognostic utility. Keywords Gastrointestinal Cancer, Gustave Roussy immune score, Overall survival, Disease-free survival, Progressionfree survival, Cancer-specific survival †Xiaolian Deng and Tingting Yan contributed equally to this work. *Correspondence: Jinlai Wei [weilai03109@163.com](weilai03109@163.com)[ ](weilai03109@163.com)Chunxue Li[lichunxue@tmmu.edu.cn](lichunxue@tmmu.edu.cn) 1Department of General Surgery, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing 400042, China 2Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer Center, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, China 3Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China © The Author(s) 2026. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creati

FAQs

What was the main objective of this study regarding the GRIm score?

To systematically assess the association between pretreatment GRIm score and survival outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.

Which databases and time range were used for the literature search?

The search used Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase from inception to January 15, 2026.

What outcomes did the meta-analysis evaluate, and what did it find for high GRIm scores?

It assessed overall survival (OS), PFS, RFS, DFS and CSS. High GRIm scores were linked to significantly worse OS, PFS, DFS and CSS, while one study reported no independent prognostic significance for RFS.

Sep 22, 2026

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