title: The Prognostic Value of C-Reactive Protein Serum Levels in Patients with Uterine Leiomyosarcoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  C-reactive protein (CRP) has previously been shown to serve as a prognostic parameter in women with gynecologic malignancies. Due to the lack of valid prognostic markers for uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS) this study set out to investigate the value of pre-treatment CRP serum levels as prognostic parameter.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of women with ULMS were extracted from databases of three Austrian centres for gynaecologic oncology. Pre-treatment CRP serum levels were measured and correlated with clinico-pathological parameters. Univariate and multivariable survival analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 53 patients with ULMS were included into the analysis. Mean (SD) CRP serum level was 3.46 mg/dL (3.96). Solely, an association between pre-treatment CRP serum levels and tumor size (p = 0.04) but no other clinic-pathologic parameter such as tumor stage (p = 0.16), or histological grade (p = 0.07), was observed. Univariate and multivariable survival analyses revealed that CRP serum levels (HR 2.7 [1.1-7.2], p = 0.037) and tumor stage (HR 6.1 [1.9-19.5], p = 0.002) were the only independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) in patients with ULMS. Patients with high pre-treatment CRP serum levels showed impaired OS compared to women with low levels (5-year-OS rates: 22.6% and 52.3%, p = 0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High pre-treatment CRP serum levels were independently associated with impaired prognosis in women with ULMS and might serve as a prognostic parameter in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Gynaecology and Gynaecological Oncology, Gynecologic Cancer Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwameis
authors.affiliation: Department of General Gynaecology and Gynaecological Oncology, Gynecologic Cancer Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grimm
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Petru
authors.affiliation: Department of General Gynaecology and Gynaecological Oncology, Gynecologic Cancer Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Natter
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology, Barmherzige Schwestern Hospital Linz, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Staudigl
authors.affiliation: Clinical Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine 1, Comprehensive Cancer Cente, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lamm
authors.affiliation: Department of General Gynaecology and Gynaecological Oncology, Gynecologic Cancer Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koelbl
authors.affiliation: Clinical Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine 1, Comprehensive Cancer Cente, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krainer
authors.affiliation: Clinical Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine 1, Comprehensive Cancer Cente, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brodowicz
authors.affiliation: Department of General Gynaecology and Gynaecological Oncology, Gynecologic Cancer Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institute for General Gynecology and Experimental Gynecologic Oncology, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reinthaller
authors.affiliation: Department of General Gynaecology and Gynaecological Oncology, Gynecologic Cancer Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polterauer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D015996:Survival Rate; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002097:C-Reactive Protein