The absolute lymphocyte to monocyte ratio is associated with poor prognosis in classical Hodgkin lymphoma patients younger than 60 years of age

Recent studies suggest that absolute lymphocyte count, absolute monocyte count and their ratio [lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR)] at diagnosis may predict survival in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Here, we investigated the prognostic significance of LMR in cHL patients in relation to age of patients. Subjects included 351 cHL patients (age range from 4 to 84 years, median age 34 years, sex ratio 1.58) who had been followed‐up for a median period of 59 months (range, 0.1–245 months). The estimated 5‐year overall survival (OS) rate was 86.8%. Subgroup analysis was performed according to patients' age; non‐elderly group (<60 years of age) versus elderly group (≥60 years of age). There was no significant difference in the level of absolute lymphocyte count, absolute monocyte count or LMR between the age groups. Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal cut‐off value of LMR for the entire cohort was determined at 2.8, whereas the optimal cut‐off for the elderly group was 2.2. In the non‐elderly group (<60 years old), patients with LMR <2.8 had significantly lower OS or lymphoma‐specific survival compared with those with LMR ≥2.8 (p < 0.001, both). In contrast, neither the LMR value of 2.8 or 2.2 predicted survival in the elderly group. In multivariate analysis, LMR remained a significant prognostic factor for OS (p = 0.049). The results of our analysis suggest that low LMR is associated with poor OS in patients of <60 years old. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.