Impact of Preoperative Hemoglobin Level on Survival of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Background: Only a few studies have reported any prognostic impact of the preoperative hemoglobin level itself in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The survival impact of preoperative hemoglobin level and the relationship between hemoglobin and serum CEA level were investigated. Patients and Methods: Two hundred and forty consecutive NSCLC patients were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The 5-year survival of patients with low and those with a normal hemoglobin level was 42.99% and 73.47%, respectively. Both univariate and multivariate analyses indicated the independent prognostic impact of the hemoglobin level. The result for stage I patients was identical. Patients with normal hemoglobin could be subdivided into 2 groups based on their serum CEA level; the 5-year survival of patients with normal and those with elevated CEA was 81.72% and 57.24%, respectively. Conclusion: The preoperative hemoglobin level was a prognostic factor for NSCLC patients. The combined use of hemoglobin and CEA levels might be useful to predict the prognosis of patients.