Post-surgical highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and prognosis in early stage in breast cancer (BC).

Abstract

550 Background: Obesity, commonly associated with inflammation, is associated with poor prognosis in BC. Previous research suggests CRP, an obesity-associated marker of systemic inflammation, may mediate the adverse prognostic effects of obesity and be associated with fatigue. We examined the association of hsCRP with obesity-related factors, fatigue and distant disease-free and overall survival (DDFS, OS) in an early BC cohort. Methods: 501 non-diabetic women with T1-3, N0-1, M0 BC diagnosed 1989-96 provided fasting blood (mean 7.7 ± 4.3 weeks after surgery, prior to systemic therapy, stored at -80°C) which was analyzed for hsCRP (Roche Elecsys immunochemistry). 359 women also completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 (mean 8 ± 3.9 weeks post-surgery). Women were followed prospectively to 2007. Data were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients (r) and Cox models. Results: Mean age was 50.5 ± 9.7 years; 282/159/24/36 subjects had T1/T2/T3/TX cancers; 350 were N0; 306 had ER+ and 278 PgR+ cancers (HER2 was not performed); 76/208/142 cancers were grade 1/2/3; adjuvant treatment involved radiation (369 subjects), chemotherapy (196), tamoxifen (107). Median hsCRP was 0.9 mg/L (25th/75th percentiles: 0.4/2.4 mg/L). hsCRP was correlated (all p < 0.0001) with age (r = 0.25), Body Mass Index (BMI, r = 0.6), insulin (r = 0.44), Homeostasis Model Assessment (r = 0.45) and leptin (r = 0.54), but not with EORTC fatigue (r = 0.02), T or N stage, grade or ER/PgR status (any + vs. both -). Median follow-up was 12 years. hsCRP was not associated with DDFS or OS in univariate analyses (Q4 vs. Q1 HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.69-1.52, p = 0.9 and HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.86-1.86, p = 0.24 respectively) or multivariate analyses adjusting for age, T, N, grade, ER/PgR status, treatment (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.66-1.59, p = 0.93 and HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.76-1.81, p = 0.48 respectively). Conclusions: hsCRP (measured post-op, prior to systemic therapy) was associated with age, BMI and obesity associated physiologic factors; it was not associated with fatigue, DDFS or OS. Funded by The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (New York), The Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute (formerly The Canadian Breast Cancer Research Initiative).