Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio can predict outcome in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer
Article Category: Research Article
Published Online: Sep 22, 2020
Page range: 437 - 446
Received: Feb 18, 2020
Accepted: Jul 22, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raon-2020-0054
© 2020 Gordana Drpa, Maja Sutic, Jurica Baranasic, Marko Jakopovic, Miroslav Samarzija, Suzana Kukulj, Jelena Knezevic, published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
Background
The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) were analyzed in various carcinomas and their potential prognostic significance was determined. The objective of present study was to determine the correlation between these parameters and the survival of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), since very few studies have been published on this type of carcinoma.
Patients and methods
One hundred and forty patients diagnosed with SCLC at University Hospital Center Zagreb, between 2012 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Extensive-stage disease (ED) was verified in 80 patients and limited-stage disease (LD) in 60 patients. We analyzed the potential prognostic significance of various laboratory parameters, including NLR, PLR, and LMR, measured before the start of treatment.
Results
Disease extension, response to therapy, chest irradiation and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI), as well as hemoglobin, monocyte count, C-reactive protein (CRP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) showed a prognostic significance in all patients. When we analyzed the patients separately, depending on the disease extension, we found that only skin metastases as well as LDH and NLR values, regardless of the cut-off value, had a prognostic significance in ED. Meanwhile, the ECOG performance status, chest irradiation, PCI, and hemoglobin and creatinine values had a prognostic significance in LD.
Conclusions
NLR calculated before the start of the treatment had a prognostic significance for ED, while PLR and LMR had no prognostic significance in any of the analyzed groups of patients.