NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High blood levels of a protein linked to inflammation known as CRP is associated with poor survival and a lower probability of response to treatment in men with "hormone-independent" prostate cancer.
Most prostate cancers at first are driven by male hormones -- androgens -- but they then become "androgen-independent," often spreading to other areas of the body. At this stage, treatment is difficult.
Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in the development and progression of various solid tumors, though the role of inflammation in the development and progression of prostate cancer has not been elucidated.
Dr. Tomasz M. Beer from Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, and colleagues investigated whether blood "biomarkers" of inflammation, including CRP, were associated with outcomes in men with advanced prostate cancer.
Of 16 potential biomarkers tested, only CRP was independently associated with an increased risk of death, they found. Each doubling of CRP concentration was associated with a 27 percent increased risk of death.
An elevated CRP and low hemoglobin were also significant predictors of shorter overall survival.
Moreover, CRP each doubling of CRP concentration translated into a 19 percent decrease in the odds of treatment response, determined by a decline in the prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, level.
"If confirmed, CRP could prove to be a useful and readily measurable prognostic marker that could aid in clinical decision-making, patient counseling, and clinical trial design and interpretation," Beer and colleagues conclude.
"Furthermore, elevated CRP could provide us with vital insight into the fundamental role of inflammation in the progression of advanced prostate cancer."
SOURCE: Cancer, June 1, 2008.
