CRP and neoplasm: Moreover, high serum levels of CRP-SAA but not total SAA or CRP in the present study were significantly associated with a worse prognosis in patients with early-stage lung cancer, suggesting that the elevation of serum CRP-SAA levels may result from both the increased production of SAA in the tumor microenvironment and the elevated production of CRP by the liver in response to the chronic inflammation of the tumor site in early stages.