Baseline and postoperative C-reactive protein levels predict mortality in operable lung cancer

Abstract Background Higher blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) have been associated with shorter survival in patients with cardiovascular, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. We investigated the impact of baseline and postoperative CRP levels on survival of patients with operable lung cancer (LC). Patients and methods CRP values at baseline (CRP0 ) and 3 days after surgery (CRP3 ) were measured in a consecutive series of 1750 LC patients who underwent complete resection between 2003 and 2015. Patients were classified as having 0 ( N = 593), 1 ( N = 658) or 2 ( N = 553) risk factors: CRP0 and/or CRP3 values above the respective median value. The effect of higher CRP was evaluated by Kaplan–Meier mortality curves and adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), by fitting Cox proportional hazards models. Results Cumulative proportions of 5-year survival were 67% for 0 risk factors, 58% for 1 risk factor and 41% for 2 risk factors ( P