Combination of C-reactive Protein and Monocyte Count Is a Useful Prognostic Indicator for Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Background/Aim: Several studies have demonstrated the usefulness of C-reactive protein (CRP) or cellular components obtained from complete blood count as prognostic indicators in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of the combination of CRP and blood cellular components in CRC patients. Patients and Methods: A total of 463 patients who underwent curative surgery for CRC were enrolled in this study. Results: ROC analysis revealed that the values of area under the curve of neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelet, and monocyte counts (MC) for overall survival (OS) were 0.594, 0.513, 0.553, and 0.625, respectively. Using cut-off values derived from ROC analysis, patients were divided into the following groups, CRPHigh, CRPLow, MCHigh, and MCLow. The 5-year OS rates of CRPHigh and MCHigh, CRPHigh and MCLow, CRPLow and MCHigh, and CRPLow and MCLow patients were 60.2%, 75.7%, 82.1%, and 88.3%, respectively (p<0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the combination of serum CRP levels and MC was an independent prognostic indicator. With regard to the cause of death, the combination of CRP and MC was significantly associated with both cancer-related and unrelated death. Conclusion: The combination of CRP and MC is useful in predicting the prognosis in CRC patients.