The following is a summary of “Retrospective Study to Examine Prognostic Value of C-Reactive Protein in Patients With Surgically Resectable Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer,” published in the June 2023 issue of the Clinical Lung Cancer by Azzoli et al.

This investigation examined the relationship between elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and clinical outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing surgery in the United States. The Optum Clinformatics claims database identified adults with NSCLC who underwent lung cancer surgery and had 1 CRP measurement before or >1 month after index surgery. 

Using multivariate regressions and Kaplan-Meier analysis, the association between elevated CRP (>10 mg/L) and risk of NSCLC recurrence/death was evaluated separately during the 6 months before surgery (pre-surgery cohort) and 2 years after surgery (post-surgery cohort) cohorts. Adjusting for baseline demographic and clinical characteristics among patients in the pre-surgery cohort with index surgery between 2016 and 2020 (n = 104), the incidence rate ratio (IRR) for NSCLC recurrence between elevated vs. non-elevated CRP was 2.17 (95% CI=1.03-4.50; P =.04). In the post-surgery cohort (n = 264), the adjusted IRR for disease recurrence (elevated versus non-elevated CRP) was 2.22 (95% [CI]: 1.05-4.70; P =.04). 

In the pre-surgery cohort, patients with elevated CRP had nearly double the risk of death (odds ratio [OR] = 1.91; 95% CI = 1.06-3.42; P =.03). In the post-surgery cohort, the OR was 1.62 (95% CI: 0.88-2.97; P=.12). Among those with persistently elevated CRP levels before surgery, there was a significant 5-year trend of increased CRP. These findings corroborate the association between elevated CRP levels and an increased risk of NSCLC recurrence/death in pre-and postoperative cohorts. This study may cast light on anti-inflammatory treatments for NSCLC patients.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1525730423000165