CRP and lung cancer: It seems unlikely that elevated CRP levels play a causal role in the pathogenesis of lung cancer, as three former studies found that single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the CRP gene that are associated with increased circulating CRP levels were not associated with an increased risk of lung cancer (Siemes et al, 2006; Allin et al, 2010; Chaturvedi et al, 2010).