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A derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio predicts survival in patients with cancer.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has prognostic value in patients with a variety of cancers. Many chemotherapeutic trial databases hold information on white cell and neutrophil counts only. The aim of the present study was to compare the prognostic value of the NLR with a derived score (dNLR), composed of white cell and neutrophil counts. METHODS: Patients (n=27,031) who were sampled incidentally between 2000 and 2007 for neutrophil, lymphocyte and white cell counts, and also had a diagnosis of cancer (Scottish Cancer Registry), were identified. Of this group, 12,118 patients who had been sampled within 2 years of their cancer diagnosis were studied. RESULTS: On follow-up, there were 7366 deaths, of which 6198 (84%) were cancer deaths. The median time from blood sampling to diagnosis was 2.1 months. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for cancer-specific survival was 0.650 for the NLR and 0.640 for the dNLR. The NLR and dNLR were independently associated with survival in all cancers studied (all P<0.001). The optimal thresholds, on the basis of hazard ratios and area under the curve, were 4 : 1 for the NLR and 2 : 1 for the dNLR. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study show that the dNLR has similar prognostic value to the NLR. Therefore, the universally available dNLR is to be commended for use in the risk stratification of patients undergoing chemotherapy.

SUBMITTER: Proctor MJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3419948 | biostudies-other | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:Although cancer increases the incidence and severity of ischaemic stroke, there is no reliable method for predicting ischaemic stroke in cancer patients. To evaluate the prognostic capacity of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at cancer diagnosis for predicting the incidence of ischaemic stroke, we used a hospital-based cancer registry that contained clinical data from all patients treated for cancer at Osaka University Hospital between 2007 and 2015. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was calculated after dividing absolute neutrophil counts by absolute lymphocyte counts. These counts were obtained within 1 month after cancer diagnosis. The primary endpoint was new-onset ischaemic stroke within 2 years after cancer diagnosis. Of the 18 217 included cancer patients (median age: 65.2 years), 69 (0.38%) had ischaemic stroke. Unadjusted Cox regression analysis stratified by cancer site demonstrated that each 1-unit increase in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was associated with a significant 7.2% increase in the risk of an ischaemic stroke event (95% confidence interval 1.041-1.103, P < 0.001). Survival tree analysis and the Kaplan-Meier method suggested that patients with and without atrial fibrillation who had increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios had a higher risk of ischaemic stroke. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for cancer site and stage, revealed that patients with high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (>15) had higher ischaemic stroke risk than patients with low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (<5). This was true among cancer patients both with (hazard ratio 11.598; 95% confidence interval 0.953-141.181) and without (hazard ratio 7.877; 95% confidence interval 2.351-26.389) atrial fibrillation. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at cancer diagnosis is associated with the incidence of ischaemic stroke among cancer patients and might thus be useful for identifying patients at high risk of ischaemic stroke, allowing us to guide future preventive interventions.

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A derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio predicts survival in patients with cancer.

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