Higher C-Reactive Protein Predicts Worse Survival in Melanoma
Source: Skin Cancer Advisor, March 2015
Higher c-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with worse survival in patients with melanoma, according to a recent study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Shenying Fang, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center examined 115 patients with melanoma who were available for CRP determination and had undergone blood draws. They evaluated the relationship between any change in disease status and CRP.
They found that elevated CRP in these patients was associated with worse overall survival and melanoma-specific survival in initial, confirmatory and combined data sets. The findings were consistent after multivariable adjustment.
Compared to patients with CRP less than 10 mg/L, those with CRP of 10 mg/L or greater demonstrated poorer overall survival in any stage of disease, as well as poorer disease-free survival in stage I-II.
RELATED: Novel Risk Score Could Identify Melanoma Risk
Sequential evaluation saw an association between an increase in CRP and melanoma disease progression.
“CRP measurement should be considered for incorporation into prospective studies of outcome in patients with melanoma and clinical trials of systemic therapies for those with melanoma,” the authors concluded.
Reference