To investigate the relationship between albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR) and oncologic outcomes in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

We identified 364 patients with primary NMIBC who underwent transurethral surgery between 2000 and 2015. The association between pretreatment AGR and clinicopathologic variables, including oncologic outcomes, was statistically evaluated.

One hundred twenty patients (33.0%) experienced at least one tumor recurrence, and 23 (6.3%) developed muscle-invasive disease. The median (interquartile range) pretreatment AGR was 1.73 (1.53-1.89). The Kaplan-Meier curve revealed that tumor recurrence was strongly predicted in patients with pretreatment AGR < 1.6, and similar results were observed for disease progression (P < .01 and P < .01, respectively). On multivariate analysis, we found that pretreatment AGR < 1.6 is an independent risk factor for tumor recurrence (hazard ratio, 0.53; P < .01). On univariate analysis, pretreatment AGR < 1.6 was also associated with disease progression (hazard ratio, 0.24; P < .01).

Low pretreatment AGR is an independent risk factor for tumor recurrence and is one risk factor for disease progression in NMIBC patients. This inexpensive and easily accessible biomarker may become useful in selecting patients with NMIBC with higher risk of recurrence and progression.