title: Impact of hyperglycemia on survival and infection-related adverse events in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who were receiving palliative chemotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Non-metastatic colorectal cancer patients with diabetes have poor overall survival than those without diabetes. However, the effect of hyperglycemia on survival after diagnosis of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been assessed. Therefore, we assessed the impact of hyperglycemia on the survival and infection-related adverse events (AEs) in patients with metastatic CRC.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the records of 206 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic CRC who were treated with palliative chemotherapy from March 2000 to December 2012 at Chungbuk National University Hospital. The mean glucose level of each patient was calculated using all available glucose results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean glucose levels ranged between 76.8 and 303.5 mg/dL, and patients were categorized into quartiles in accordance to their mean glucose level: group 1 (< 106.7 mg/dL), group 2 (106.7-117.2 mg/dL), group 3 (117.3-142.6 mg/dL), and group 4 (> 142.6 mg/dL). The median overall survival for patients in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 22.6, 20.1, 18.9, and 17.9 months, respectively; however, this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.643). Compared with patients in group 1, those in groups 2, 3, and 4 were at a higher risk of infection-related AEs, according to a multivariate analysis (p=0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hyperglycemia was not associated with shorter survival; however, it was associated with infection-related AEs in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic CRC receiving palliative chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Internal Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Joo
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Hye-Suk
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Yusook
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Jiwon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Sung-Nam
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Hyung Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hyun-Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Tae-Keun
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Sang-Jeon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ki Hyeong
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee