ALB and colorectal cancer: <h4>Aim</h4>This study examined the association between the preoperative albumin-to-carcinoembryonic antigen ratio (ACR) and clinicopathological characteristics in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and developed and validated a prognostic model incorporating ACR for patient risk stratification.<h4>Methods</h4>A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and pathological data of CRC patients who underwent radical surgery at Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital between January 2017 and December 2017.