There were similar interrelationships in the cancer cohort (Table 4) with the strongest associations (Spearman's correlation ⩾0.3) existing between C-reactive protein and albumin, C-reactive protein and Alk phos, bilirubin and AST, Alk phos and GGT, AST and ALT, AST and GGT and ALT and GGT. This evidence concerns the gene GPT and cancer.