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Review
. 2017 Nov;96(45):e8463.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000008463.

Prognostic role of C-reactive protein in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A meta-analysis and literature review

Yi Fang  1 , Chang Xu, Peng Wu, Ling-Hao Zhang, Da-Wei Li, Jie-Hao Sun, Wen-Feng Li, Zhi-Su Liao
Affiliations
Review

Prognostic role of C-reactive protein in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A meta-analysis and literature review

Yi Fang et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017 Nov.

Abstract

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) has been shown to be associated with several tumors. However, its association with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is not well characterized. We performed a literature review and meta-analysis to assess the prognostic relevance of elevated CRP levels in patients with NPC.

Methods: A literature search for relevant studies was performed on PubMed (Medline), the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) were calculated to assess the association between elevated CRP levels and survival outcomes.

Results: Five studies with a combined study population of 5215 patients with NPC were included. Pooled hazard ratios for overall survival and distant metastasis-free survival were 1.84 (95% CI = 1.57-2.17) and 1.81 (95% CI = 1.53-2.14), respectively. Subgroup analyses showed that types of indicators and treatment before inclusion had no significant impact on the observed association.

Conclusion: Elevated serum CRP levels in patients with NPC were associated with worse prognosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of the literature search and study-selection criteria.
Figure 2
Figure 2
HRs for OS with high CRP. P values based on the Cochrane Q test for heterogeneity. CI = confidence interval, CRP = C-reactive protein, HR = hazard ratio, OS = overall survival.
Figure 3
Figure 3
HRs for DMFS with high CRP. P values based on the Cochrane Q test for heterogeneity. CI = confidence interval, CRP = C-reactive protein, DMFS = distant metastasis-free survival, HR = hazard ratio.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Begg funnel plots for publication bias testing (A) OS and (B) DMFS. DMFS = distant metastasis-free survival, OS = overall survival.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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