结直肠癌患者根治术前血清CEA和CA19-9表达水平对预后的预测价值

目的探讨结直肠癌患者根治术前CEA、CA19-9水平对预后的预测价值。 方法回顾性分析复旦大学附属肿瘤医院2003年12月至2007年1月间491例接受根治性切除的Ⅱ、Ⅲ期结直肠癌患者临床资料,包括患者术前血清CEA和CA19-9水平、临床病理资料及预后情况。利用单变量和多变量分析患者年龄、性别、肿瘤部位、肿瘤分化、TNM分期、肿瘤侵犯深度及淋巴结转移个数与预后的关系。 结果患者术前血清CEA和CA19-9水平、TNM分期、淋巴结转移数、肿瘤侵犯深度、肿瘤的分化都与预后相关。在多变量分析中,CEA和CA19-9水平、TNM分期、肿瘤分化是总生存的独立预测因素,CA19-9水平、TNM分期、肿瘤分化是无病生存的独立预测因素。 结论术前血清CA19-9与CEA水平均对结直肠癌患者的预后有预测价值。CA19-9水平应该作为常规的术前检查指标,对CEA检测结果有补充作用。     

Blood neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio predicts survival after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma: A propensity score-based analysis

AIM: To investigate whether an elevated preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR) can predict poor survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 526 patients with HCC who underwent surgery between 2004 and 2011.RESULTS: Preoperative NLR ≥ 2.81 was an independent predictor of poor disease-free survival(DFS, P 0.001) and overall survival(OS, P = 0.044). Compared with patients who showed a preoperative NLR 2.81 and postoperative increase, patients who showed preoperative NLR ≥ 2.81 and postoperative decrease had worse survival(DFS, P 0.001; OS, P 0.001). Among patients with preoperative NLR ≥ 2.81, survival was significantly higher among those showing a postoperative decrease in NLR than among those showing an increase(DFS, P 0.001; OS, P 0.001). When elevated, alpha-fetoprotein(AFP) provided no prognostic information, and so preoperative NLR ≥ 2.81 may be a good complementary indicator of poor OS whenever AFP levels are low or high.CONCLUSION: Preoperative NLR ≥ 2.81 may be an indicator of poor DFS and OS in patients with HCC undergoing surgery. Preoperative NLR ≥ 2.81 may be a good complementary indicator of poor OS when elevated AFP levels provide no prognostic information.     

Prognostic value of preoperative platelet–lymphocyte and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio in patients undergoing surgery for esophageal squamous cell cancer

Increasing evidence has suggested that the host inflammatory status is associated with prognosis of several solid tumors. Preoperative platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), both acquired from routine blood tests, can reflect the status of systematic inflammation. However, whether they are correlated with clinical outcomes of esophageal carcinoma is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic value of preoperative PLR and NLR in patients with resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Preoperative PLR and NLR were evaluated in 317 eligible ESCC patients from September 2008 to December 2010. Receiver operating characteristic curves were applied to establish optimal cutoff points. The prognostic values of PLR and NLR were determined by both univariate and multivariate analyses. The optimal cutoff value of preoperative PLR and NLR were 103.0 and 2.1, respectively. One hundred and ninety‐seven (62.1%) patients showed high level of preoperative PLR, while 148 (46.7%) patients showed high level of preoperative NLR. Both elevated PLR (P < 0.001) and NLR (P = 0.009) were correlated with poor disease‐specific survival in univariate analysis. However, only preoperative PLR (P = 0.003) had a significant correlation with prognosis in multivariate analysis. In subgroup analyses, the predictive value of PLR was significant for stage I (P = 0.008) and stage II (P = 0.044) patients, but not for stage III patients (P = 0.100). Preoperative PLR is easily obtained from a routine blood test and may provide additional prognostic information for ESCC patients, especially in the early stage.     

Prognostic value of preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen/tumor size in rectal cancer

BACKGROUND Carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)is a commonly used biomarker in colorectal cancer.However,controversy exists regarding the insufficient prognostic value of preoperative serum CEA alone in rectal cancer.Here,we combined preoperative serum CEA and the maximum tumor diameter to correct the CEA level,which may better reflect the malignancy of rectal cancer.AIM To assess the prognostic impact of preoperative CEA/tumor size in rectal cancer.METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 696 stage I to III rectal cancer patients who underwent curative tumor resection from 2007 to 2012.These patients were randomly divided into two cohorts for cross-validation:training cohort and validation cohort.The training cohort was used to generate an optimal cutoff point and the validation cohort was used to further validate the model.Maximally selected rank statistics were used to identify the optimum cutoff for CEA/tumor size.The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to plot the survival curve and to compare the survival data.Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to determine the prognostic value of CEA/tumor size.The primary and secondary outcomes were overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS),respectively.RESULTS In all,556 patients who satisfied both the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included and randomly divided into the training cohort(2/3 of 556,n=371)and the validation cohort(1/3 of 556,n=185).The cutoff was 2.429 ng/mL per cm.Comparison of the baseline data showed that high CEA/tumor size was correlated with older age,high TNM stage,the presence of perineural invasion,high CEA,and high carbohydrate antigen 19-9(CA 19-9).Kaplan-Meier curves showed a manifest reduction in 5-year OS(training cohort:56.7%vs 81.1%,P<0.001;validation cohort:58.8%vs 85.6%,P<0.001)and DFS(training cohort:52.5%vs 71.9%,P=0.02;validation cohort:50.3%vs 79.3%,P=0.002)in the high CEA/tumor size group compared with the low CEA/tumor size group.Univariate and multivariate analyses identified CEA/tumor size as an independent prognostic factor for OS(training cohort:hazard ratio(HR)=2.18,95%confidence interval(CI):1.28-3.73,P=0.004;validation cohort:HR=4.83,95%CI:2.21-10.52,P<0.001)as well as DFS(training cohort:HR=1.47,95%CI:0.93-2.33,P=0.096;validation cohort:HR=2.61,95%CI:1.38-4.95,P=0.003).CONCLUSION Preoperative CEA/tumor size is an independent prognostic factor for patients with stage I-III rectal cancer.Higher CEA/tumor size is associated with worse OS and DFS.     

Effect of preoperative neutrophil�Clymphocyte ratio on the surgical outcomes of stage II colon cancer patients who do not receive adjuvant chemotherapy

Background and aims

Selection of appropriate stage II colon cancer patients for adjuvant chemotherapy is critical for improving survival outcome. With the aim of identifying more high risk factors for stage II colon cancer, this study aimed to determine whether the neutrophil?Clymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a predictor of surgical outcomes in patients with stage II colon cancer who do not receive adjuvant chemotherapy.

Materials and methods

We enrolled 1,040 stage II colon cancer patients who had undergone colectomy at a single institution between January 1995 and December 2005 and did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy.

Results

Of these 1,040 patients, 785 (75.5%) patients had a normal NLR and 255 (24.5%) had an elevated NLR. Those with an elevated NLR included patients ??65?years, T4b cancer, carcinoembryonic antigen ??5?ng/mL, and tumor obstruction or perforation. Patients with an elevated NLR had a significantly worse overall survival (OS) and worse disease-free survival (DFS) than did patients with a normal NLR. Cox regression analysis revealed that elevated NLR was an independent predictor of OS (P=0.012) but not DFS (P=0.255).

Conclusion

An elevated NLR is an independent predictor of OS but not DFS in stage II colon cancer patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Preoperative NLR measurement in stage II colon cancer patients may be a simple method for identifying patients with a poor prognosis who can be enrolled in further trials of adjuvant chemotherapy.     

Evaluation of multiple biological indicators for combined diagnosis of gastric cancer: A retrospective analysis

To assess carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), platelet distribution width (PDW), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) for gastric cancer’s (GC) diagnostic efficiency, and the use of receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) combined with logistic regression to evaluate multi-index combination’s diagnostic value of GC. 773 GC patients’ clinical data were retrospectively collected in the Weihai Municipal Hospital, affiliated hospital of Shandong University from April 2018 to May 2021, and selected 2368 healthy physical examination patients during the same period as the control group. A total of 3141 samples was included in this study, including 773 cases in the GC group and 2368 cases in the healthy physical examination group. The results of the overall comparison between groups showed that apart from gender, the age differences, CEA, CA19-9, PDW, NLR, and PLR were statistically significant (P < .001). Spearman ranks correlation analysis’s results showed that CA19-9, CEA, PLR, and NLR were correlated with GC patients’ clinical-stage positively, and the correlation coefficients r was 0.249, 0.280, 0.252, 0.262 (all P < .001), and PDW was correlated with the clinical stage negatively (r = −0.186, P < .001). The ROC curve analysis results of CEA, CA19-9, PDW, NLR and PLR showed that CEA’s diagnostic cutoff value for GC was 3.175 (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.631, 95% CI: 0.606–0.655, P < .001), the CA19-9’s diagnostic cutoff value is 19.640 (AUC = 0.589, 95% CI: 0.563–0.615, P < .001), PDW’s diagnostic cutoff value is 15.750 (AUC = 0.799, 95% CI: 0.778–0.820, P < .001), NLR’s diagnostic cutoff value was 2.162 (AUC = 0.699, 95% CI: 0.675–0.721, P < .001), and PLR’s diagnostic cutoff value was 149.540 (AUC = 0.709, 95% CI: 0.688–0.732, P < .001). The area under the ROC curve for the combined diagnosis of GC with 5 indicators was 0.877 (95% CI: 0.860–0.894, P < .001), which was better than a single indicator (P < .05). The diagnostic efficiency of combined detection of CEA, CA19-9, PDW, NLR, and PLR is better than that of single index detection alone, which can reduce the misdiagnosis rate of GC effectively.     

手术后中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比例及血小板/淋巴细胞比例与非小细胞肺癌患者预后的相关性

目的 关注中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比例(Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio,NLR)及血小板/淋巴细胞比例(Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio,PLR)与接受手术并行化疗的Ⅰb-Ⅲa期非小细胞肺癌(Non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)患者生存时间...     

The predictive value of preoperative serum neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and tumor markers for early breast cancer patients: A retrospective study

Peripheral blood of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio (NLR), carcinoma embryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and cancer antigen 15–3 (CA15-3) could be used as prognostic indicators for several types of tumors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of inflammatory cell ratio and tumor markers for postoperative breast cancer patients. Clinical data concerning 190 breast cancer patients who underwent radical surgery in Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from 2013 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The effects of NLR, CEA, CA125, and CA153 on the disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with breast cancer were analyzed by χ² test and Cox regression analyses. There were totally 32 of 190 patients had local or distant metastases within 5 years after surgery. The peripheral blood NLR, CEA, CA125, and CA15-3 areas under the curve (AUC) were 0.8272, 0.667, 0.702, and 0.715, and the optimal cutoff values were 2.65, 1.47, 10.55, and 10.55, respectively. Univariate analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the serum NLR, CEA, CA125, and CA15-3 were related to postoperative 5-year DFS (P < .05). In addition, multivariate survival analysis identified the following independent prognostic factors: NLR (P < .001), CA125 (P = .045) and ki-67 (P = .020). Preoperative serum inflammatory biomarker of NLR and tumor marker of CA125 have potential prognostic value for breast carcinoma.     

Platelet to lymphocyte ratio as a novel prognostic tool for gallbladder carcinoma

AIM: To preliminarily investigate the prognostic significance of the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in patients with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC).METHODS: Clinical data of 316 surgical GBC patients were analyzed retrospectively, and preoperative serum platelet and lymphocyte counts were used to calculate the PLR. The optimal cut-off value of the PLR for detecting death was determined by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The primary outcome was overall survival, which was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank test was used to compare the differences in survival. Then, we conducted multivariate Cox analysis to assess the independent effect of the PLR on the survival of GBC patients.RESULTS: For the PLR, the area under the ROC curve was 0.620 (95%CI: 0.542-0.698, P = 0.040) in detecting death. The cut-off value for the PLR was determined to be 117.7, with 73.6% sensitivity and 53.2% specificity. The PLR was found to be significantly positively correlated with CA125 serum level, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and tumor differentiation. Univariate analysis identified carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA125 and CA199 levels, PLR, TNM stage, and the degree of differentiation as significant prognostic factors for GBC when they were expressed as binary data. Multivariate analysis showed that CA125 > 35 U/mL, CA199 > 39 U/mL, PLR ≥ 117.7, and TNM stage IV were independently associated with poor survival in GBC. When expressed as a continuous variable, the PLR was still an independent predictor for survival, with a hazard ratio of 1.018 (95%CI: 1.001-1.037 per 10-unit increase, P = 0.043).CONCLUSION: The PLR could be used as a simple, inexpensive, and valuable tool for predicting the prognosis of GBC patients.     

Prognostic markers compared to CD3+TIL in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC) is more prevalent in some geographic regions, including Saudi Arabia. Typically, Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging is used in NPC. However, it is inadequate to assess the prognosis of LA-NPC.Therefore, we analyzed and compared several previously reported prognostic factors in LA-NPC patients, retrospectively, including CD3+tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and peripheral blood hemoglobin, EBV DNA copy number, ratios of albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR), neutrophils, or platelets-to-lymphocytes (NLR, PLR). The studied cohort was 83 LA-NPC patients previously recruited for a randomized phase II trial with a different aim.Univariate cox regression analysis showed no significant correlation between any of the tested variables with disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS) with the exception of low CD3+ TIL infiltration, which correlated significantly with DFS (HR = 6.7, P = <.001) and OS (HR = 9.1, P = .043). Similarly, in a validated multivariate cox regression analysis, only low CD3+ TIL correlated significantly with DFS (HR = 7.0, P < .001 for TIL) and OS (HR = 9.4, P = .040).Among tested parameters, CD3+ TIL was the only independent prognostic marker for DFS and OS in LA-NPC patients treated with CCRT. This study supports the use of CD3+TIL, over other factors, as an independent prognostic factor in LA-NPC.     

Validation and clinical usefulness of pre- and postoperative systemic inflammatory parameters as prognostic markers in patients with potentially resectable pancreatic cancer

BackgroundSeveral preoperative systemic inflammatory parameters, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and Glasgow prognostic score, have been reported to be associated with the prognosis of solid tumors. In this study, we compared pre- and postoperative hematological inflammatory parameters and validated their prognostic significance in pancreatic cancer patients who underwent surgical resection.MethodsClinical records from 211 consecutive pancreatic cancer patients who underwent surgical resection at our institution were retrospectively analyzed. The optimal cutoff values of hematological inflammatory parameters, including lymphocyte count, NLR, PLR, LMR, and PNI, were determined by time-dependent receiver-operating characteristic analysis.ResultsThe postoperative neutrophil count and serum albumin level were significantly decreased in patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy (PD group) and in those who underwent distal pancreatectomy (DP group) compared to the levels at baseline. The postoperative lymphocyte count, monocyte count, and platelet count were significantly increased in the DP group compared to those at baseline. As a result, the postoperative NLR and PNI significantly decreased in both groups. The multivariate analysis identified intraoperative peritoneal washing cytology, administration of adjuvant therapy, tumor size, extrapancreatic nerve plexus invasion, and preoperative PLR as independent prognostic factors for overall survival.ConclusionsSystemic inflammatory responses were altered after pancreatic resection in pancreatic cancer patients. Preoperative PLR may be a useful prognostic marker in pancreatic cancer patients undergoing surgical resection.     

Pretreatment Neutrophil–Lymphocyte Ratio: An Independent Predictor of Survival in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been shown to be associated with prognosis in various types of cancer. We evaluated pretreatment NLR as a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and we compared the prognostic value of NLR with other prognostic scores.We retrospectively analyzed 825 patients diagnosed with HCC between October 2008 and May 2012. Baseline data, including the NLR and the Child–Pugh class or Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, were recorded before treatment. The relationships between overall survival (OS) and the study variables were assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The prognostic value of NLR was assessed using a Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and compared with that of the Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) and Tumor, Node, Metastasis (TNM) staging.The NLR, γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, α-fetoprotein ≥400 ng/mL, tumor number ≥3, tumor size ≥5 cm, lymph node metastasis, portal vein involvement, and Child–Pugh class were significantly associated with OS. The NLR demonstrated the strongest prognostic value (area under ROC curve = 0.811). An NLR ≥2.7 was a significant predictor of poor OS (P < 0.0001), and the survival period of patients with an NLR ≥2.7 decreased with more advanced BCLC and TNM stage.Pretreatment NLR is a useful prognostic biomarker in HCC patients. The prognostic value of NLR ≥2.7 is superior to that of MELD stage or Child–Pugh class, and correlates with that of BCLC and TNM staging scores.     

Effect of complication grade on survival following curative gastrectomy for carcinoma

AIM: To elucidate the potential impact of the grade of complications on long-term survival of gastric cancer patients after curative surgery.METHODS: A total of 751 gastric cancer patients who underwent curative gastrectomy between January 2002 and December 2006 in our center were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into four groups: no complications, Grade I, Grade II and Grade III complications, according to the following classification systems: T92 (Toronto 1992 or Clavien), Accordion Classification, and Revised Accordion Classification. Clinicopathological features were compared among the four groups and potential prognostic factors were analyzed. The Log-rank test was used to assess statistical differences between the groups. Independent prognostic factors were identified using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Stratified analysis was used to investigate the impact of complications of each grade on survival.RESULTS: Significant differences were found among the four groups in age, sex, other diseases (including hypertension, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), body mass index (BMI), intraoperative blood loss, tumor location, extranodal metastasis, lymph node metastasis, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and chemotherapy. Overall survival (OS) was significantly influenced by the complication grade. The 5-year OS rates were 43.0%, 42.5%, 25.5% and 9.6% for no complications, and Grade I, Grade II and Grade III complications, respectively (P < 0.001). Age, tumor size, intraoperative blood loss, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage and complication grade were independent prognostic factors in multivariate analysis. With stratified analysis, lymph node metastasis, tumor size, and intraoperative blood loss were independent prognostic factors for Grade I complications (P < 0.001, P = 0.031, P = 0.030). Age and lymph node metastasis were found to be independent prognostic factors for OS of gastric cancer patients with Grade II complications (P = 0.034, P = 0.001). Intraoperative blood loss, TNM stage, and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for OS of gastric cancer patients with Grade III complications (P = 0.003, P = 0.005, P < 0.001). There were significant differences among patients with Grade I, Grade II and Grade III complications in TNM stage II and III cancer (P < 0.001, P = 0.001).CONCLUSION: Complication grade may be an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer following curative resection. Treatment of complications can improve the long-term outcome of gastric cancer patients.     

Comparison of the geriatric nutritional risk index and the prognostic nutritional index in determining survival outcome in patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing surgical resection: A cohort study

To assess the clinical feasibility of the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) as determinants of survival in patients with stage I to III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This retrospective study included patients with stage I to III NSCLC from all age groups. Hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and relapse-free survival (RFS) were calculated using the Cox regression analysis. The concordance index (C-index) of the models was evaluated following the establishment of the prognostic models for survival. The median patient age was 69 years, and 64.6% of the patients were male. In total, 172 (65.4%) patients were classified as having stage I disease, 52 (19.8%) as stage II disease, and 39 (14.8%) as stage III disease. Using multivariate Cox regression analysis, the HRs of GNRI for OS, CSS, and RFS were 0.37 (P = .003), 0.47 (P = .041), and 0.38 (P < .001), respectively. However, the HRs of the PNI for survival outcomes were not statistically significant. Overall, age, sex, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, pleural invasion (PI), and GNRI were significant determinants of OS and constituted the OS model (concordance index [C-index], 0.824). In addition, age, TNM stage, PI, and GNRI were significant determinants of CSS and constituted the CSS model (C-index, 0.828). Finally, TNM stage, PI, lymphatic invasion, and GNRI were significant determinants of RFS and constituted the RFS model (C-index, 0.783). Our study showed that GNRI, but not PNI, was a predictor of OS, CSS, and RFS in patients with stage I–III NSCLC across all age groups. Excellent discriminant power was observed for OS, CSS, and RFS models.     

Preoperative inflammation-based scores predict early recurrence after lung cancer resection

BackgroundInflammation in the tumor microenvironment is hypothesized to have a major role in cancer invasiveness, progression, and metastases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of preoperative inflammation-based scores in terms of estimating the timing of recurrence by hazard curves in a cohort of operable, early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.MethodsA total of 387 patients with NSCLC who underwent complete pulmonary resection from 2010 to 2019 had their C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), modified GPS, systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and advance lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) measurements taken before surgery. Hazard curves indicating changes in hazards over time were evaluated.ResultsMedian follow-up was 39.2 months. In total, 105 patients (27.1%) experienced recurrence. The resulting hazard curve with elevated CAR, SII, GPS, and mGPS, values displayed an initial high peak during the first year. Multivariate analyses showed that an elevated CAR [hazard ratio (HR), 1.987; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.202–3.284] independently predicted the recurrence-free survival. Even in stage I disease, patients with elevated CAR and SII values showed an earlier peak of recurrence, which was about 12 to 16 months earlier than those with low values.ConclusionsEven after complete resection of stage I NSCLC, patients with elevated CAR and SII values retain a high risk of early recurrence. Preoperative inflammation-based scores can be an objective, simple, and cost-effective measurement for predicting early recurrence of NSCLC.     

Negative Impact of Preoperative Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio on Outcome After Hepatic Resection for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

The elevated platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), determined using an easy blood test based on platelet and lymphocyte counts, is reported to be a predictor of poor survival in patients with several cancers. The prognostic role of preoperative PLR in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) has, until now, been rarely investigated. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of PLR in a large cohort of ICC patients after hepatic resection.We obtained data from 322 consecutive nonmetastatic ICC patients who underwent hepatectomy without preoperative therapy between 2005 and 2011. Clinicopathological parameters, including PLR, were evaluated. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Using multivariate Cox regression models, the independent prognostic value of preoperative PLR was determined.Our results showed that PLR represents an independent adverse prognostic factor for OS and RFS in ICC patients using univariate and multivariate analyses. The optimal PLR cutoff value was 123 using receiver operating curve analyses. The 5-year OS and RFS rates after hepatectomy were 30.3% and 28.9% for the group with PLR 123 greater, compared with 46.2% and 39.4% for the group with PLR less than 123 (P = 0.0058 and 0.0153, respectively). In addition, high PLR values were associated with tumor size (P = 0.020).Our results suggest that preoperative PLR might represent a novel independent prognostic factor for OS and RFS in ICC patients with hepatic resection.     

Combination of albumin concentration and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio for predicting overall survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer

BackgroundLung cancer contributes significantly to the total of cancer-linked deaths globally, accounting for 1.3 million deaths each year. Preoperative albumin (Alb) concentration and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) may reflect chronic inflammation and be used to predict lung cancer outcomes.MethodsThe clinical records of 293 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital & Fujian Cancer Hospital were reviewed retrospectively in this current study. Clinicopathologic pretreatment, including NLR, Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), and post-treatment value, such as tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) were documented. The cut-off finder application was employed to calculate the optimal threshold values. The significance of Alb concentration combined with NLR (COA-NLR) on the prediction of overall survival (OS) was explored using Kaplan-Meier analysis along with Cox proportional hazards.ResultsThe results revealed that COA-NLR could independently assess the OS of patients with NSCLC [hazard ratio (HR) =1.952, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.367 to 2.647, P<0.001]. Moreover, the 3-year OS rates were 87.2%, 68.5%, and 52.8% for the COA-NLR =0, COA-NLR =1, and COA-NLR =2, respectively (P<0.001).ConclusionsPreoperative COA-NLR value can effectively stratifies prognosis in NSCLC patients by classified patients into three independent groups. It can be adopted as an effective biomarker for prognosis in NSCLC patients treated with resection.     

Preoperative Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Long-term Survival in Patients Undergoing Total Laryngectomy With Advanced Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Single-center Retrospective Study

There is increasing evidence that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a stage-independent predictor of poor outcome in patients with cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between cancer-specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS), and the preoperative NLR in patients with advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) undergoing total laryngectomy (TL).All patients with a new diagnosis of advanced laryngeal cancer (stages III and IV) presenting at the Department of Head and Neck Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between January 1990 and July 2010 (n = 420) were included. To evaluate the independent prognostic relevance of the NLR, univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used. CSS and OS were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.Four-hundred twenty patients were enrolled in this study. Patients with an NLR ≥2.59 showed a significantly lower CSS (P = .014) and OS (P = .032) than patients with an NLR <2.59. The Cox proportional multivariate hazard model showed that a higher preoperative NLR was independently correlated with a poor CSS and OS, with hazard ratios of 1.42 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.91, P = .018) and 1.31 (95% CI 1.00–1.71, P = .046), respectively.The NLR may be an independent prognostic marker for CSS and OS in patients with advanced LSCC undergoing TL.     

Comparison of selected inflammation-based prognostic markers in relapsed or refractory metastatic colorectal cancer patients

AIM: To investigate the impact of systemic inflammationbased prognostic markers on overall survival in relapsed/refractory metastatic colorectal cancer(m CRC) patients. METHODS: To investigate prognostic markers in m CRC patients,this study was performed with patients who have experienced relapsed/refractory m CRC with standard chemotherapy or were inapplicable to conventional treatment modality because of poor performance status,age,or comorbidity. We reviewed the medical records of 177 m CRC patients managed with Korean Medicine(KM) treatment modality using an anticancer agent of Rhus verniciflua Stokes extract from June 2006 to April 2013. The clinicopathologic characteristics,laboratory test,the systemic inflammation markers including the modified Glasgow prognostic score(m GPS),neutrophil lymphocyte ratio(NLR),platelet lymphocyte ratio(PLR),lymphocyte monocyte ratio(LMR),and prognostic nutritional index(PNI) were analyzed. The overall survival of patients was calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method and the statistical significance was compared using with the log-rank test. To compare the impact of systemic inflammation based markers,the hazard ratio(HR) of m GPS,NLR,PLR,LMR,and PNI for overall survival were evaluated with the Cox proportional hazards regression.RESULTS: The majority of m CRC patients had relapsed/refractory to standard chemotherapy; 128 patients(72.3%) had undergone more than second line chemotherapy,and the median time from diagnosis of m CRC to initiation of KM was 9.4 mo. The median overall survival of enrolled patients was 8.3 mo. On univariate analyses,the inflammation markers of higher m GPS(P 0.001),NLR ≥ 5(P 0.001),PLR 300(P = 0.004),LMR ≤ 3.4(P 0.001),and PNI ≤ 45.3(P = 0.001) were significantly associated with decreased survival time. On stepwise multivariate proportional hazards model,m GPS at 2 vs 0(HR = 3.212,95%CI: 1.437-7.716,P = 0.004),and LMR ≤ 3.4(HR = 1.658,95%CI: 1.092-2.518,P = 0.018) as independent predictors associated with poor overall survival along with carbohydrate antigen 19-9(HR = 1.482,95%CI: 1.007-2.182,P = 0.046),AST ≥ 40(HR = 2.377,95%CI: 1.359-4.155,P = 0.002),and the treatment duration for KM less than 2.9 mo(HR = 1.718,95%CI: 1.160-2.543,P = 0.007).CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the inflammatory markers,m GPS and LMR are independent prognostic factors for predicting overall survival in relapsed/refractory m CRC patients.     

Analysis of the Fibrinogen and Neutrophil–Lymphocyte Ratio in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Promising Blood Marker of Tumor Progression and Prognosis

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies in gastrointestinal tract cancers and even patients with early ESCC have a high metastatic potential. Difficulties are associated with clinically predicting tumor progression and prognosis based on conventional tumor markers determined from preoperative blood examinations. The aim of the present study was to measure plasma fibrinogen levels and the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in blood and compare the clinical impacts of their combined values (fibrinogen and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio score—F-NLR score) and the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) in patients with ESCC.We classified 238 patients with ESCC based on cut-off values for hyperfibrinogenemia (>400 mg/dL) and high NLR (>3.0) as F-NLR scores of 2 (both of these hematological abnormalities), 1 (one of these abnormalities), or 0 (neither abnormality). We also categorized patients based on cut-off values for high C-reactive protein (CRP) (>0.5 mg/dL) and hypoalbuminemia (<3.8 g/dL) as mGPS of 2 (elevated CRP and hypoalbuminemia), 1 (either elevated CRP or hypoalbuminemia), or 0 (neither elevated CRP nor hypoalbuminemia).The F-NLR score correlated with the depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular invasion, tumor size, and stage (all P < 0.05). Prognoses among the groups based on the F-NLR score and mGPS significantly differed (all P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis identified the depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, and F-NLR score as independent prognostic factors (P = 0.002, P = 0.007, and P = 0.037, respectively).The results of the present study showed that the F-NLR score is a promising blood predictor for tumor progression and outcomes in patients with ESCC.