Impact of serum C-reactive protein level on the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing TACE

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between serum CRP levels and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. METHODS: HCC patients who underwent the first session of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) between January 2005 and December 2009 (n=211) were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups high C-reactive protein (CRP; > or =1 mg/dL, n=51) and low CRP ( or =5 cm. In addition, subgroup analysis of matched CRP according to TNM stage revealed that elevated serum CRP was independently associated with tumor type, WBC count, and tumorprogression-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: A high serum CRP level is associated with large tumors and a poorly defined tumor type, and is significantly associated with 10-month mortality in patients with large HCC (size > or =5 cm) who undergo TACE.