The Prognostic Role of Postoperative Inflammation After Minimally Invasive Resection for Colorectal Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Inflammation Research

Background:

• Tumor-promoting inflammation is a known factor in cancer development.
• The prognostic significance of surgery-related inflammation in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of postoperative inflammation on prognosis in patients undergoing curative surgery for CRC.
• To determine if C-reactive protein (CRP) levels post-surgery can predict patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 436 patients with stage I-III CRC undergoing minimally invasive surgery.
• Patients categorized into low-CRP and high-CRP groups based on postoperative CRP levels (cutoff 151.5 mg/L).
• Evaluation of recurrence-free survival, overall survival (OS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS).

Main Results:

• High-CRP group showed significantly worse recurrence-free survival (p=0.005), OS (p<0.001), and CSS (p=0.001).
• High-CRP was associated with increased locoregional and peritoneal metastases (p=0.018).
• Multivariate analysis identified high-CRP as an independent risk factor for recurrence (p=0.02).

Conclusions:

• Postoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) levels serve as a potential negative prognostic indicator for colorectal cancer patients.
• Elevated CRP post-surgery is associated with a higher risk of recurrence and poorer survival outcomes.