C-reactive protein, symptoms and activity of daily living in patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care.

Amano K, Maeda I, Morita T, et al

J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2017 Jun;8(3):457-465.

A secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional study looked at the associations between C-reactive protein (CRP) level, manual muscle testing of limbs, symptoms and activities of daily living (ADL) in advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care in different settings. Data on 1702 patients were analysed and classified in groups depending on the CRP levels. As CRP levels increased, patients had more symptoms and ADL disabilities. In the very high CRP group (10 mg/dl = < CRP), (n = 394), weight loss (79%), anorexia (90%) and fatigue (81%) were common. Patients with severely weak muscle testing had higher CRP levels. Using an ordinal logistic regression model, symptoms were significantly higher (adjusted ORs) in the moderate, high, and very high CRP groups (1.6; P < 0.001; 2.5; P < 0.001; 3.5; P < 0.001, respectively).  This study shows that CRP is associated with ADL and symptoms and concludes that CRP might be a good biomarker in cancer patients receiving palliative care.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcsm.12184/full

Composed by Elaine Boland.