The mean corpuscular volume as a prognostic factor for colorectal cancer

The aim of the present study was to identify the factors investigated during routine blood examinations which can predict the disease outcome independent of the tumor stage.

Data from 1174 patients with stage I, II, and III CRC who underwent R0 resection were included. We investigated the correlations between the preoperative routine blood examination data, and clinicopathological factors, and disease-free survival (DFS) using univariate and multivariate analyses.

The univariate analysis showed that tumor location, tumor stage, CRP, serum albumin, creatine kinase, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, red blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and the administration of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were significantly correlated with the DFS. The multivariate analysis of the factors associated with the DFS showed that stage and MCV were significant factors; an MCV of <80 fL was associated with a superior DFS in comparison to an MCV of 80-100 fL (hazard ratio: 0.31, 95% confidence interval: 0.13-0.61, p = 0.0003). The DFS in patients with an MCV of <80 fL was superior to that in patients with an MCV of ≥80 fL, irrespective of whether the patients underwent postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

MCV was a prognostic factor for the DFS, independent of the tumor stage, in CRC patients who underwent R0 resection.