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Meta-Analysis
. 2015 May 22:5:10508.
doi: 10.1038/srep10508.

C-reactive protein and risk of breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Lanwei Guo  1 , Shuzheng Liu  1 , Shaokai Zhang  1 , Qiong Chen  1 , Meng Zhang  1 , Peiliang Quan  1 , Jianbang Lu  1 , Xibin Sun  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

C-reactive protein and risk of breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Lanwei Guo et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Associations between elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) and breast cancer risk have been reported for many years, but the results remain controversial. To address this issue, a meta-analysis was therefore conducted. Eligible studies were identified by searching the PubMed and EMBASE up to December 2014. Study-specific risk estimates were combined using a random-effects model. Altogether fifteen cohort and case-control studies were included in this meta-analysis, involving a total of 5,286 breast cancer cases. The combined OR per natural log unit change in CRP for breast cancer was 1.16 (95% CI: 1.06-1.27). There was moderate heterogeneity among studies (I(2) = 45.9%). The association was stronger in Asian population (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.25-1.96) compared to European (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02-1.23) and American (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01-1.16). Prediagnostic high-sensitivity CRP concentrations (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.10-1.35) was superior to common CRP (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01-1.15) in predicting breast cancer risk. The meta-analysis indicated that elevated CRP levels was associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Further research effort should be performed to identify whether CRP, as a marker of inflammation, plays a direct role in breast carcinogenesis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of systematic literature search.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot for the association between per log-transformed CRP concentration and female breast cancer risk.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Influence analyses for omitting individual study on the summary odds ratio.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Funnel plot for analysis results of publication bias.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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