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[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228466.].

AimsInflammation is a hallmark of cancer whose activity is modulated within the tumor microenvironment by low tumoral pH. Recent evidence in the literature has suggested a link between low serum bicarbonate, low tumoral pH and cancer related inflammation. There is however little clinical evidence in human patients regarding the prognostic role of serum bicarbonate. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the short and long-term prognostic utility of serum bicarbonate in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing resection of their primary tumor. The study also aimed to investigate the association of serum bicarbonate with known markers of systemic inflammation.MethodsA total of 3281 consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection of their primary CRC from January 1998 to December 2012. Of these, 2223 stage I-IV patients had available data for analysis. The association of serum bicarbonate with overall survival was assessed using univariate and multivariate cox regression analyses. The association of bicarbonate with other clinicopathological variables was assessed by chi squared and Fisher's exact tests.ResultsSerum bicarbonate was associated with peri-operative mortality in multivariate analysis (pConclusionsIn peri-operative colorectal cancer patients, serum bicarbonate was associated with 30-day survival but not 5-year survival.

BackgroundRecent literature has suggested that tumor sidedness in colorectal cancer (CRC) is an independent prognostic and potentially predictive marker of survival. The aims of the study were to determine the prognostic significance of tumor sidedness in colorectal cancer patients undergoing primary tumor resection and to assess associated tumor biology.MethodsA total of 3281 consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection of their primary CRC from January 1998 to December 2012 were analyzed for association with tumor biologic factors and with overall survival. Metastatic patients were excluded from analysis.ResultsLeft sided CRCs were associated with a number of additional key prognostic markers including BRAFV600E wildtype status (PConclusionsTumor sidedness was not an independent prognostic marker of CRC. However, right sided CRCs were associated with several key independent prognostic markers supporting a hypothesis that tumor sidedness is a surrogate for other biomarkers.