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Table 2 Laboratory test results

From: Relevance of blood tumor markers in inpatients with significant involuntary weight loss and elevated levels of inflammation biomarkers

  

TM-positive group

(N = 76)

TM-negative group

(N = 59)

 
 

Total

(N = 135)

Cancer

(N = 41)

No cancer

(N = 35)

p*

Cancer

(N = 9)

No cancer

(N = 50)

p**

p***

Inflammatory markers,

n#/N (%)

med [IQR]

        

CRP, mg/L (N<5.0)

135/135 (100)

78.8 [35.3-141.4]

78.6 [44.7–124.0]

52.7 [25.7-149.5]

0.87

134.0 [67.9–172.0]

81.4 [35.1-139.1]

0.17

0.67

ESR§, mm

40/135 (29.6)

61 [34.8–85.5]

11/41 (26.8)

58.0 [30.5–79.5]

8/35 (22.9)

70.0 [37.5–84.0]

0.89

0.39

3/9 (33.3)

79.5 [24 0.5-129.3]

18/50 (36.0)

63.0 [49.5–81.8]

1

0.11

0.25

0.39

Fibrinogen, g/L (N:1.8–3.5)

77/135 (57)

5.4 [4.2–6.8]

24/41 (58.5)

5.3 [4.6–6.7]

16/35 (45.7)

4.9 [3.6–6.2]

0.37

0.04

5/9 (55.3)

6.9 [3.9–8.2]

32/50 (64.0)

5.7 [4.2–2.1]

0.92

0.15

0.31

0.17

Haptoglobin, g/L (N:0.4–2.8)

25/41 (61.0)

2.6 [1.4–4.1]

8/13 (61.5)

3.2 [1.7–3.6]

2/8 (25.0)

1.4 [0.2–1.9]

NA

< 1.10− 4

2/2 (100)

5.4 [5.1–5.6]

13/18 (72.2)

2.6 [2.1–4.2]

NA

0.39

0.12

0.15

Ferritin, µg/l (N:10–241)

73/115 (63.4)

363.5 [157.5-706.5]

18/33 (54.6)

379 [137–558]

22/32 (68.8)

383 [240–692]

0.35

0.54

6/8 (75.0)

736.5 [289.5-953.5]

27/42 (64.3)

331.0 [153.7-672.3]

0.85

0.03

0.77

0.32

Albumin, g/L (N:32–46)

89/134 (66.4)

28.1 [25-34.1]

30/40 (75.0)

27.9 [24.9–31.9]

22/35 (62.9)

28.2 [25.4–34.6]

0.38

0.39

7/9 (77.8)

25.6 [23.5–30.2]

30/50 (60.0)

29. [24.0-35.4]

0.47

0.13

0.54

0.73

Inflammatory profile on SPE

69/117 (59.0)

15/27 (38.5)

17/33 (48.6)

0.96

6/9 (66 0.7)

31/48 (62.0)

1

0.27

Other laboratory variables,

n/N (%)

med [IQR]

        

WBCs, 103/mm3(N:4.0–10.0)

47/135 (34.8)

8.1 [6.2–11.3]

16/41 (39.0)

8.5 [6.8–12.0]

13/35 (37.1)

7.9 [5.7–13.8]

1

0.59

4/9 (44.4)

10.3 [7.8–15.7]

14/50 (28.0)

7.9 [6.2–10.3]

0.58

0.01

0.45

0.26

Hemoglobin, g/dL (N:11.5–16)

69/135 (51.1)

11.4 [9.9–12.4]

22/41 (53.7)

11 [9.4–12.1]

21/35 (60.0)

11.4 [9.9–12.4]

0.75

1

4/9 (44.4)

11.5 [10.0-12.6]

22/50 (44.0)

11.5 [10.4–12.3]

1

0.89

0.27

0.43

Platelets, 103/mm3 (N:150–400)

40/135 (29.6)

290 [226.5–431)

10/41 (24.4)

278.5 [230.8-396.5]

10/35 (28.6)

520 [469.3-615.5]

0.88

0.83

1/9 (11.1)

254.0 [241.3-294.5]

19/50 (38.0)

304.5 [237.0-463.5]

NA

0.22

0.45

0.46

LDH, U/L (N:120–246)

102/107 (95.3)

660 [354–602]

31/32 (96.9)

520.5 [382.7-746.5]

23/25 (92.00)

435.0 [354–582]

0.83

NA

7/7 (100)

341 [308–593]

41/43 (95.4)

414 [351–560]

1

NA

1

1

Blood TMs,

n# /N (%)

med [IQR]

        

CEA, µg/L (N < 2.5-5)

28/128 (21.9)

1.5 [0.9-3.0]

17/40 (42.5)

2.7 [1.0–6.0]

11/35 (31.4)

1.7 [1.2–3.9]

0.06

NA

0/8

1.5 [1.0-2.2]

0/45

1.1 [0.8–1.9]

NA

NA

NA

NA

Total PSA, ng/mL (N < 4)

10/66 (13.3)

1.4 [0.6–2.8]

4/17(23.5

)1.4 [0.7–3.6]

6/19 (31.6)

2.4 [1.2–4.6]

0.60

NA

0/5

0.7 [0.4–1.6]

0/25

1.2 [0.5–1.9]

NA

NA

NA

NA

AFP, ng/mL (N < 8)

7/118 (5.9)

3.0 [1.9–4.5]

5/35 (14.3)

3.5 [2.4–4.6]

2/31 (6.5)

3.3 [2.1–4.2]

NA

NA

0/7

3.3 [1.7–4.4]

0/45

2.2 [1.7–3.5]

NA

NA

NA

NA

CA 125, U/mL (N < 35)

38/96 (39.6)

18.0 [9.6–61.9]

22/31 (71.0) 124.5 [28.6-210.9]

16/27 (59.3)

38.4 [11.9–57.3]

0.51

NA

0/6

15.0 [9.2–17.8]

0/32

9.5 [6.7–13.1]

NA

NA

NA

NA

CA 15 − 3, U/mL (N < 32.4)

17/91 (18.7)

17.4 [11-26.4]

11/30 (36.7)

25.7 (17.3–65.9]

6/25 (24.0)

17.7 [11.2–31.5]

0.46

NA

0/5

11.2 [10.9–15.2]

0/31

12.60 [7.5–17.8]

NA

NA

NA

NA

CA 19 − 9, U/mL (N < 37)

19/121(15.7)

11.6 [7.8–21.7]

15/34 (44.1)

19.5 [8.9-218.9]

4/34 (11.8)

13.9 [8.4–28.4]

0.004

NA

0/9

9.7 [5.3–10.1]

0/44

10.1 [6.4–14.1]

NA

NA

NA

NA

Calcitonin, pg/mL (N < 10)

6/55 (10.9)

4.4 [2.8–10.8]

1/17 (5.9)

4.3 [3.2–5.9]

5/17 (29.4)

15.0 [9.0-19.5]

NA

NA

0/3

3.8 [3.5–4.2]

0/18

1.6 [0.9–3.6]

NA

NA

NA

NA

NSE, µg/L (N < 18.3)

19/63 (30.2)

12 [9.8–22]

12/22 (54.6)

22.4 [10.3–45.7]

7/20 (35.0)

12.2 [9.7–20.4]

0.33

NA

0/4

10.3 [9.8–12.1]

0/17

10.8 [8.5–13.8]

NA

NA

NA

NA

  1. Legends CRP: C-reactive protein
  2. ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate
  3. LDH: lactate dehydrogenase, NA: not applicable
  4. IQR: interquartile range
  5. SPE: serum protein electrophoresis
  6. TM: tumor marker
  7. WBC: white blood cell
  8. # number of patients with a value above the upper normal boundary set by the central laboratory (except for albumin and hemoglobin, where the value was below the lower normal boundary)
  9. § according to Sox et al. (Sox and Liang 1986)
  10. * TM-positive patients with cancer vs. TM-positive patients without cancer
  11. ** TM-negative patients with cancer vs. TM-negative patients without cancer
  12. *** TM-positive patients vs. TM-negative patients