Long-term prognostic value of postoperative C-reactive protein in gastric cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

作者：Dong Shen, Zhi Yong Li, Wen Xia, Dan Li, Shuai Zhao, Yang Xu, Yunjun Huang · 发表于：BMC Gastroenterology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12876-025-04481-y · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Inflammatory Biomarkers in Disease Prognosis、Gastric Cancer Management and Outcomes、Nutrition and Health in Aging

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein (CRP) has begun to be used in clinical practice to predict the prognosis of cancer patients, but evidence on its prognostic role remains inconsistent. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the prognostic value of postoperative CRP among patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang Data, and the VIP Database for studies published from inception to April 30, 2025. Studies investigating the association between postoperative CRP and overall survival (OS) or recurrence-free survival (RFS) were included. Hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for these outcomes were extracted for meta-analysis. RESULTS: Twelve eligible cohort studies, involving 9246 patients, were included in the meta-analyses. Elevated postoperative CRP was a significant predictor of OS and RFS in gastric cancer patients (HR:1.51, 95% CI:1.38-1.66; HR:1.44, 95% CI:1.27-1.63, respectively). CRP measured at a specific postoperative time point showed stronger prognostic value (HR:1.74, 95% CI:1.37-2.19), despite substantial heterogeneity, whereas peak postoperative CRP during hospitalization yielded a highly consistent and significant effect (HR:1.53, 95% CI:1.34-1.76). Notably, peak CRP measured within the first week after surgery served as an independent prognostic factor for both wor...