Old wine in new bottles: C-reactive protein (CRP) is a promising tumor marker in thymic epithelial tumors

EditorialPhilipp StröbelInstitute of Pathology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyCorrespondence to: Philipp Ströbel. Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, D-37085 Göttingen, Germany. Email: philipp.stroebel@med.uni-goettingen.de.Comment on: Janik S, Bekos C, Hacker P, et al. Elevated CRP levels predict poor outcome and tumor recurrence in patients with thymic epithelial tumors: A pro- and retrospective analysis. Oncotarget 2017;8:47090-102.Received: 28 July 2017; Accepted: 21 August 2017; Published: 30 August 2017.doi: 10.21037/med.2017.08.01Tumor markers in the serum of cancer patients, regardless whether they are “molecular” (such as cell free tumor DNA and others) or biochemical, are an indispensable tool for the screening and monitoring of patients with malignant diseases. The fact that hardly any of the most broadly used tumor markers is specific for a given tumor entity does not diminish their great value for multi...