The systemic inflammatory response, weight loss, performance status and survival in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer.

TLDR: The results indicate that the majority of patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer have evidence of a systemic inflammatory response and an increase in the magnitude of the systemicinflammatory response resulted in greater weight loss, poorer performance status, more fatigue and poorer survival.

Abstract: The relationship between the magnitude of systemic inflammatory response and the nutritional/functional parameters in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer were studied The extent of weight loss, albumin, C-reactive protein, performance status and quality of life was measured in 106 patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (stages III and IV) Survival analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazard model The majority of patients were male and almost 80% had elevated circulating C-reactive protein concentrations (>10 mg x l(-1)) On multivariate analysis, age (P=0012), tumour type (0002), weight loss (P=0056), C-reactive protein (P=0047), Karnofsky performance status (P=0002) and fatigue (P=0046) were independent predictors of survival The patients were grouped according to the magnitude of the C-reactive protein concentrations ( 100 mg x l(-1)) An increase in the magnitude of the systemic inflammatory response was associated with increased weight loss (P=0004), reduced albumin concentrations (P=0001), reduced performance status (P=0060), increased fatigue (P=0011) and reduced survival (HR 1936 95%CI 1414-2650, P<0001) These results indicate that the majority of patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer have evidence of a systemic inflammatory response Furthermore, an increase in the magnitude of the systemic inflammatory response resulted in greater weight loss, poorer performance status, more fatigue and poorer survival