Elevation of C-reactive protein during concurrent chemoradiotherapy is a poor predictive factor for head and neck cancer.

Objective: The prognostic role of pretreatment C-reactive protein (CRP) has been reported for head and neck cancer. However, little is known about the relationship between the changes in CRP levels during treatment and prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between CRP elevation during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and survival outcomes.

Methods: The medical records of patients with oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, and laryngeal cancer treated with CCRT at the University of Tsukuba Hospital and National Hospital Organization Mito Medical Center from April 2014 to December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into normal (<0.3 mg/dl) and elevated (≥0.3 mg/dl) CRP groups according to the CRP level after the first cycle of cisplatin. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS).

Results: A total of 74 patients were enrolled, of whom 36 (49%) showed elevated CRP levels after the first cycle of cisplatin. The 3-year PFS was 83.3% and 61.0% in the normal and elevated CRP groups, respectively, showing significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusion: Elevated CRP levels after the first cycle of cisplatin is an objective predictive marker for survival in patient with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with CCRT.