CRP and breast carcinoma: Recently, the systemic inflammatory response, as evidenced by elevated circulating concentrations of C-reactive protein and hypoalbuminaemia, has been shown to be independently associated with poorer survival in patients with advanced disease (McMillan et al, 2001; Forrest et al, 2003) including breast cancer (Albuquerque et al, 1995; Zhang and Adachi, 1999; Al Murri et al, 2006).