Impact of preoperative hemoglobin and CRP levels on cancer-specific survival in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: results of a single-center study

Purpose Different blood parameters have shown to be associated with patient’s oncological outcome. There is only limited knowledge about the prognostic relevance of routine blood parameters in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed the influence of preoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels on overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Materials and methods Preoperative CRP and Hb levels were available in 664 patients who underwent RC due to TCC from 2004 to 2013 at our institution. More men than women (77 vs. 23 %) underwent surgery with a median age of 70 years (35–97). Median follow-up time was 24 months (max. 108). Outcome was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox regression models. Results Median CRP level was 0.5 mg/dl (0.1–28.3), and median Hb level was 13.4 g/dl (6.7–17.9). Patients with CRP value above the median died significantly earlier due to their disease than those with CRP below the median (median CSS 19 vs. 70 months; p