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Study Finds Association Between C-Reactive Protein and Cancer Risk, Mortality


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 20, 2009

CONTACT:
Kelly Powell
571-483-1365
kelly.powell@asco.org

In this New Digest:
  • Summary of study published online March 16, 2009 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showing that high levels of C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation and heart disease risk, may also be associated with the risk of developing cancer and with earlier cancer death
  • Quote for attribution from Eric Winer, MD, American Society of Clinical Oncology cancer expert
  • Links to additional information on Cancer.Net, ASCO’s patient website

Study Summary

In the first, large prospective study of its kind, Danish researchers report that people with high blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP)—a marker of inflammation and a predictor of heart disease risk —have a 30 percent greater risk of developing any cancer later in life, and were associated with the risk of developing lung and possibly colorectal cancers, compared with people with low CRP levels. Researchers also found that among people with cancer, those with high CRP levels prior to their diagnosis were 80 percent more likely to die sooner than people with cancer who did not have elevated CRP.

CRP is a protein that serves as a marker of inflammation in the body. High-sensitivity CRP testing is already performed in individuals with cardiovascular risk factors to assess future risk of heart disease. Previous smaller case-control studies have reported an association between CRP and cancer, but this is the first large study to prospectively explore this relationship for any cancer, involving more than 10,000 people.

“While future research will need to confirm our findings, our study suggests that testing patients’ C-reactive protein levels provides a more comprehensive picture of a patient’s health than we previously thought. In addition to predicting heart disease risk, this simple test could help us assess a patient’s future cancer risk and eventual cancer prognosis,” said lead author Kristine Allin, MD, a physician at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.

The researchers stated it is unclear whether CRP is a marker of occult (hidden) cancers or whether chronic inflammation, characterized by high CRP levels, promotes cancer growth.

The analysis included participants from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, a large prospective study launched in 1976 to explore risk factors for heart disease. All participants had baseline CRP levels measured using the high-sensitivity CRP blood test. This analysis included 10,408 participants who entered the study between 1991 and 1994 or between 2001 and 2003.

After 16 years of total follow-up, 1,624 participants developed cancer. People with a high baseline CRP (more than 3 mg/L) had a 30 percent greater risk of developing any cancer compared with those whose CRP was less than 1 mg/L. High CRP levels were associated with lung and possibly colorectal cancer risk, but did not significantly raise breast cancer risk.

Among people diagnosed with cancer during the study period, those who had baseline CRP of more than 3 mg/L were 80 percent more likely to die sooner than those with CRP levels under 1 mg/L. Specifically, researchers reported that five years after cancer diagnosis, 40 percent of patients with elevated CRP levels were alive, compared with 70 percent of patients with low CRP levels.

Information from Cancer.Net, ASCO’s Patient Web site

ASCO Perspective
Eric Winer, MD, Director, Breast Oncology Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

“These findings are preliminary and more research is needed to determine a precise link between CRP levels and cancer. However, these findings support a possible link between inflammation and cancer, and the C-reactive protein test could one day be used to help select those patients who should be more frequently screened for cancer.”

Information on This Study for Patients

JCO Cancer Advances

The Journal of Clinical Oncology is the tri-monthly peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s leading professional society representing physicians who treat people with cancer.

ATTRIBUTION TO THE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY IS REQUESTED IN ALL NEWS COVERAGE.

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