Preoperative elevation of serum C-reactive protein as an independent prognostic indicator of colorectal carcinoma

Purpose. The preoperative elevation of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is thought to be a prognosticator of carcinomas of the digestive tract. We conducted this study to investigate the clinical importance of the preoperative elevation of serum CRP in patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Methods. We investigated the correlation between an elevated preoperative serum CRP level and the clinicopathologic factors, including prognosis, of 116 patients who underwent resection of CRC. Results. Forty-seven (40.5%) patients had an elevated serum CRP value preoperatively (group H) and 69 (59.5%) did not (group L). There were significant differences in the tumor size, proportion of poorly differentiated tumors, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, and tumor stage between the two groups. Survival was significantly lower in group H than in group L (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that the preoperative elevation of serum CRP (P = 0.0007), as well as poor differentiation (P = 0.027) and advanced tumor stage (P = 0.007) were independent prognostic factors in patients with CRC. Conclusion. We found the preoperative elevation of serum CRP to be an independent prognostic indicator of CRC.