Editors' Note: Shoulder-Tap Test for Functional Gait Disorders: A Sign of Abnormal Anticipatory Behavior

Abstract

We evaluated the significance of the preoperative serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level as a prognostic indicator in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and Methods: Two hundred and three patients who had undergone a curative resection of NSCLC were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The proportion of the tumor size over 3 cm per patient in the CRP-positive group (≥0.5 mg/dL: n=38) was significantly higher than that in the CRP-negative group (<0.5 mg/dL: n=165). The proportion of the adenocarcinoma in CRP-positive group was significantly lower than that in CRP-negative group. The overall and disease specific survival rates in the CRP-positive group were significantly lower than the rates in the CRP-negative group. Based on a multivariate analysis, the preoperative serum CRP level was selected as one of the unfavorable indicators regarding survival. Conclusion: The preoperative serum CRP level is an independent and significant indicator predictive of a poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC.