Clinical Significance of Serum C-reactive Protein in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma

Hwang, In Cheol; Chang, Sung Goo

Abstract

PURPOSE: The authors investigated the clinical significance of the C-reactive protein(CRP) in recurrence, metastasis and prognostic factors of renal cell carcinoma(RCC).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
From January 1994 to April 1998, a total of 48 patients (confirmed as the RCC by pathology after radical nephrectomy) underwent a study that made a correlation between the CRP and stage, tumor size, grade, cell type, patient`s age and sex. The CRP was measured preoperatively and postoperatively at an interval of 3 months by the rate nephelometry (quantitatively).
RESULTS
The mean of preoperative CRP(mg/dL) were 1.29 at stageI, 0.50 at II, 3.67 at III, 0.50 at IV. The mean of preoperative CRP in tumor size were 1.07 at<5cm, 1.62 at 5-10cm, 1.60 at >10cm. With regard to grade, the mean of preoperative CRP were 0.50 at grade I, 0.62 at II, 0.86 at III, 4.04 at IV, but there was no statistical significance(p=0.24). The mean of preoperative CRP were 1.44 at clear cell type, 0.76 at granular cell type, 0.50 at mixed type. With regard to age, the mean of preoperative CRP were 1.15 in the 4th decade, 0.98 in the 5th, 1.93 in the 6th, 0.97 in the 7th and 0.50 in the 8th decade. The mean of preoperative CRP were 1.18 in men, 1.52 in women. There were 5 patients who had distant metastasis during the follow up interval. The preoperative average of the CRP in this group was 0.50 and 0.74 at the time of distant metastasis; however, it was not statistically significant(p=0.07).
CONCLUSIONS
The CRP was not a significant prognostic factor in the RCC as compared with the stage, grade, tumor size, cell type, age and sex.