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. 2022 Jun 24;22(1):695.
doi: 10.1186/s12885-022-09778-9.

Pre-diagnostic C-reactive protein concentrations, CRP genetic variation and mortality among individuals with colorectal cancer in Western European populations

Katharina Nimptsch  1   2 , Krasimira Aleksandrova  3   4 , Veronika Fedirko  5   6 , Mazda Jenab  7 , Marc J Gunter  7 , Peter D Siersema  8 , Kana Wu  9 , Verena Katzke  10 , Rudolf Kaaks  10 , Salvatore Panico  11 , Domenico Palli  12 , Anne M May  13 , Sabina Sieri  14 , Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita  15 , Karina Standahl  16 , Maria-Jose Sánchez  17   18   19   20 , Aurora Perez-Cornago  21 , Anja Olsen  22   23 , Anne Tjønneland  22   24 , Catalina Bonet Bonet  25   26   27 , Christina C Dahm  23 , María-Dolores Chirlaque  19   28 , Valentina Fiano  29 , Rosario Tumino  30 , Aurelio Barricarte Gurrea  19   31   32 , Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault  33 , Florence Menegaux  33 , Gianluca Severi  33   34 , Bethany van Guelpen  35   36 , Young-Ae Lee  37   38 , Tobias Pischon  39   40   41   42
Affiliations

Pre-diagnostic C-reactive protein concentrations, CRP genetic variation and mortality among individuals with colorectal cancer in Western European populations

Katharina Nimptsch et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: The role of elevated pre-diagnostic C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations on mortality in individuals with colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear.

Methods: We investigated the association between pre-diagnostic high-sensitivity CRP concentrations and CRP genetic variation associated with circulating CRP and CRC-specific and all-cause mortality based on data from 1,235 individuals with CRC within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results: During a median follow-up of 9.3 years, 455 CRC-specific deaths were recorded, out of 590 deaths from all causes. Pre-diagnostic CRP concentrations were not associated with CRC-specific (hazard ratio, HR highest versus lowest quintile 0.92, 95% confidence interval, CI 0.66, 1.28) or all-cause mortality (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.68, 1.21). Genetic predisposition to higher CRP (weighted score based on alleles of four CRP SNPs associated with higher circulating CRP) was not significantly associated with CRC-specific mortality (HR per CRP-score unit 0.95, 95% CI 0.86, 1.05) or all-cause mortality (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.90, 1.07). Among four investigated CRP genetic variants, only SNP rs1205 was significantly associated with CRC-specific (comparing the CT and CC genotypes with TT genotype, HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.35, 0.83 and HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.38, 0.88, respectively) and all-cause mortality (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.40, 0.85 and 0.64, 95% CI 0.44, 0.92, respectively).

Conclusions: The results of this prospective cohort study do not support a role of pre-diagnostic CRP concentrations on mortality in individuals with CRC. The observed associations with rs1205 deserve further scientific attention.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Association between CRP genetic variation and CRP concentrations in n = 822 individuals with CRP and CRP SNP information. * Based on SNPs rs1205, rs180047, rs1130864 and rs3093077 with estimated coefficients as weights
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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