Preoperative serum C-reactive protein level in non-small cell lung cancer.

Unlabelled: We evaluated the significance of the preoperative serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level as a prognostic indicator in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Two hundred and three patients who had undergone a curative resection of NSCLC were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: The proportion of the tumor size over 3 cm per patient in the CRP-positive group (> or =0.5 mg/dL: n=38) was significantly higher than that in the CRP-negative group (<0.5 mg/dL: n = 165). The proportion of the adenocarcinoma in CRP-positive group was significantly lower than that in CRP-negative group. The overall and disease specific survival rates in the CRP-positive group were significantly lower than the rates in the CRP-negative group. Based on a multivariate analysis, the preoperative serum CRP level was selected as one of the unfavorable indicators regarding survival.

Conclusion: The preoperative serum CRP level is an independent and significant indicator predictive of a poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC.