Serum C-reactive protein and overall survival of patients with osteosarcoma

Increased level of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) has been identified as an important prognostic factor in several types of cancers. However, the prognostic significance of serum CRP levels in patients with osteosarcoma was still unclear. A retrospective cohort study of 85 patients was performed to assess the prognostic significance of serum CRP level in osteosarcoma. Both log-rank test and multivariable analysis by Cox regression model were used to assess the impact of serum CRP levels on the overall survival in patients with osteosarcoma. Among those 85 patients, 28 (32.9 %) had high serum CRP level (>1 mg/dL), while the other 57 (67.1 %) patients had normal serum CRP level (≤ 1 mg/dL). There was no obvious difference in the baseline characteristics between high CRP group and normal CRP group. Kaplan-Meier product-limit method showed that patients with high serum CRP levels had significantly poorer overall survival than those patients with normal serum CRP levels (log-rank test P = 0.0008). Multivariable analysis by Cox regression model further showed that high serum CRP level was an independent predictor of poor overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.39; 95 % confidence interval [95 % CI] 1.22-4.67, P = 0.01). Thus, serum CRP level has an important prognostic significance in patients with osteosarcoma, and high CRP level is associated with worse overall survival.