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Updated: May 13, 2026

The Influence of Liver Resection on Intrahepatic Tumor Growth
Published on: April 9, 2016
Pre-treatment C-reactive protein as a prognostic factor for recurrence after surgical resection of hepatocellular
Hiroki Nishikawa1, Akira Arimoto, Tomoko Wakasa
1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Osaka Red Cross Hospital, 5-30 Fudegasaki-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka 543-0027, Japan. h-nishikawa@osaka-med.jrc.or.jp
Background And Aims:
We examined the prognostic value of pre-treatment C-reactive protein (CRP) after surgical resection (SR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Patients And Methods:
A total of 298 patients with HCC who underwent SR were analyzed. They were categorized into a CRP-positive group (group A: CRP >0.2 mg/dl, n=130) and a CRP-negative group (group B: CRP <0.2 mg/dl, n=168). Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were compared.
Results:
The 1- and 3-year cumulative OS rates were 87.0% and 68.3% in group A and 95.9% and 81.1% in group B (p=0.194). The corresponding RFS rates were 61.6% and 30.3% in group A and 77.2% and 44.9% in group B (p=0.004). In multivariate analysis, the pre-treatment CRP level was a significant prognostic factor linked to RFS (p=0.046).
Conclusion:
Pre-treatment CRP levels may be a useful predictor of recurrence after SR for HCC.
