Impact of preoperative hemoglobin level on survival of non-small cell lung cancer patients.

BACKGROUND

Only a few studies have reported any prognostic impact of the preoperative hemoglobin level itself in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The survival impact of preoperative hemoglobin level and the relationship between hemoglobin and serum CEA level were investigated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Two hundred and forty consecutive NSCLC patients were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTS

The 5-year survival of patients with low and those with a normal hemoglobin level was 42.99% and 73.47%, respectively. Both univariate and multivariate analyses indicated the independent prognostic impact of the hemoglobin level. The result for stage I patients was identical. Patients with normal hemoglobin could be subdivided into 2 groups based on their serum CEA level; the 5-year survival of patients with normal and those with elevated CEA was 81.72% and 57.24%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The preoperative hemoglobin level was a prognostic factor for NSCLC patients. The combined use of hemoglobin and CEA levels might be useful to predict the prognosis of patients.