C-reactive protein is associated with distant metastasis of T3 colorectal cancer.

Few studies have examined the relationship between systemic inflammatory response (SIR) and distant metastasis in patients with T3 colorectal cancer (T3 CRC). Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed in order to evaluate the influence of SIR on distant metastasis in patients with T3 CRC using collected clinical data. Between January 2000 and August 2009, 335 patients with pathologically diagnosed T3CRC were enrolled. Univariate analysis revealed that tumor differentiation, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, lymph node metastasis, serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) level, C-reactive protein (CRP) level and the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) were associated with distant metastasis. Multivariate analysis using these selected characteristics disclosed that the CRP level was associated with distant metastasis of T3 CRC, as well as with lymph node metastasis, and CEA and CA19-9 levels. The level of CRP is one of the important clinical characteristics associated with distant metastasis of T3 CRC.