The relationships between plasma and red cell vitamin B2 and B6 concentrations and the systemic and local inflammatory responses in patients with colorectal cancer.

B vitamins have been implicated in cancer pathogenesis. It is therefore of interest that plasma B6 falls as part of the systemic inflammatory response (SIR), whereas red cell concentrations do not. The modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) is a validated inflammation-based prognostic score that consists of a combination of albumin and C-reactive protein concentrations. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between the concentrations of plasma and red cell vitamin B concentrations, the local and systemic inflammatory response in patients with colorectal cancer. Preoperative venous blood of 108 patients with colorectal cancer were analyzed for C-reactive protein, albumin, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), and pyridoxal phosphate (PLP), and lymphocyte counts. Pathological slides were retrieved for assessment of inflammatory cell infiltration. Increasing mGPS was associated with lower plasma PLP concentrations (P < 0.01) but not plasma and red cell FAD and red cell PLP concentrations. Increasing tumor stage was associated with the presence of venous invasion (P < 0.01) and low-grade inflammatory cell infiltrate (P < 0.05) but not the SIR, FAD, or PLP concentrations. A low-grade inflammatory cell infiltrate was not significantly associated with any other parameter. The presence of a SIR was associated with lower concentrations of plasma PLP but not red cell PLP concentrations in patients with colorectal cancer. Neither FAD and PLP were associated with the tumor inflammatory cell infiltrate.