Evaluation of Serum C-Reactive Protein in Oral Malignancies and Premalignant Disorders

Serum CRP in Oral Malignancies and Premalignant Disorders

Abstract

Background: OSCC commonly occurs in the context of systemic inflammation and is secondary to OPMDs. CRP, an IL-6-mediated acute-phase protein secreted by hepatocytes, is a systemic inflammation marker and may reflect cancer development and progression. Objective: To compare serum CRP among healthy subjects, OPMDs, and OSCC patients and evaluate its usefulness as an adjunct inflammatory biomarker. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Settings: Department of Oral Surgery, City Hospital, Karachi Pakistan. Duration: Six months from 16-9-2025 to 16-03-2026. Methods: Involving 105 subjects, equally allocated to the healthy control group (Group I), OPMDs (Group II), and confirmed OSCC cases (Group III). Blood samples were collected and tested for serum CRP using the immunoturbidimetric method. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare CRP levels among the three groups and the significance level was set at p<0.05. Results: The median CRP level was 2.40 mg/L (IQR: 1.10–5.20) in healthy controls, 2.80 mg/L (IQR: 1.50–6.40) in OPMD patients, and 22.50 mg/L (IQR: 9.80–48.00) in OSCC patients (Kruskal-Wallis H (2) = 42.18, p<0.001). Post-hoc pairwise comparisons using Dunn’s multiple comparison test with Bonferroni correction showed that OSCC patients had significantly higher CRP levels than both healthy controls and OPMD patients, whereas the difference between OPMD patients and healthy controls was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The findings indicate that elevated CRP levels measured before diagnosis are linked to a higher likelihood of developing oral cancer later in life, suggesting that plasma CRP may serve as an adjunct inflammatory marker requiring validation.