Elevated serum vitamin B12 levels associated with CRP as a predictive factor of mortality in palliative care cancer patients: A prospective study over five years

The relationship between vitamin B12 levels and survival was studied in a g roup, of 161 terminally ill cancer patients who were recruited consecutivel y between 1988 and 1989. Their average age was 74.7 years. The length of su rvival decreased with the increase in serum vitamin B12 levels (P = 0.0015, Cox model). In multivariate analyses, C-reactive protein (CRP) was the mos t important prognostic factor in this population, and vitamin B12 provided information independent of CRP in Predicting survival. These data indicate that an elevated serum vitamin B12 level is a predictive factor for mortali ty in patients with cancer, independent of CRP or other factors. Multiplyin g it by the CRP makes it possible to create a new easy-to-use Prognostic in dex, which can distinguish different levels of mortality risk at three mont hs. (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 2000.