The baseline ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes is associated with patient prognosis in rectal carcinoma.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

In cancer patients, the balance between neutrophil (N) and lymphocyte (L) cell counts fluctuates with advancing disease. The objective of our study was to determine the prognostic implications of the N/L ratio in the peripheral blood of rectal cancer patients.

METHODS:

Study participants were identified from a prospective cohort of patients with rectal cancer in Dalian of China (n = 123).

RESULTS:

The median baseline N/L ratio was 2.41 +/- 2.206 (range, 0.76-20.45). Our results revealed that the N/L ratio was significantly associated with tumor size (P = 0.003) and level of cancer antigen 125 (P = 0.027). A multivariate Cox model established a significant relationship between the N/L ratio and survival (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.615; 95% confidence interval, 1.152-5.933; P = 0.021).

CONCLUSIONS:

These results suggest that the N/L ratio is an independent prognostic factor in rectal cancer, and the N/L ratio may serve as a clinically accessible and useful biomarker for patient survival.

• Authors: Huanran Liu, Ge Liu, Quan Bao, Wei Sun, Haidong Bao, Liang Bi, Wei Wen, Yanfeng Liu, Zhenglin Wang, Xunguo Yin, Yunqing Bai, Xiang Hu
• Journal: Journal of gastrointestinal cancer (J Gastrointest Cancer) Vol. 41 Issue 2 Pg. 116-20 (Jun 2010) ISSN: 1941-6636 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20127292 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• China (epidemiology)
• Cohort Studies
• Female
• Humans
• Lymphocyte Count
• Lymphocytes
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasm Staging
• Neutrophils
• Prognosis
• Proportional Hazards Models
• Prospective Studies
• Rectal Neoplasms (blood, classification, mortality, pathology)