Can Prealbumin, Albumin and CRP Levels be used to Predict Prognosis in Patients with Gastric Cancer

Ackground: The impact of systemic inflammatory response on carcinogenesis and tumor progression has recently gained much attention. Biochemical markers such as albumin, pre-albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP) are currently used to predict prognosis in several cancer types, and the usefulness of these biomarkers in gastric cancer has become an emerging topic of research. The present study aims to assess the correlation between tumor stage and the levels of pre-albumin, albumin and CRP in patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer. Methods: Albumin, pre-albumin and CRP levels of the patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer in our division, were prospectively recorded and retrospectively evaluated. Age, gender, duration of hospital stay, TNM stage, and preoperative albumin, pre-albumin and CRP levels were recorded. Albumin levels lower than 3.5 mg/dL and pre-albumin levels lower than 20 mg/dL were considered to be below the normal range. CRP levels higher than 5 mg/L were considered to be elevated. Patients with another focus of inflammation were excluded from the study.