Abstract 1824: Predictive value of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio for the efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: Abnormalities in the subpopulations in white blood cells, such as neutrophilia and lymphopenia, have been reported in tumor-bearing patients, and the neutrophil/ lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been found to associate with prognosis in patients following radical surgery. The NLR was reported to associate with prognosis in cancer patients by influencing both cancer progression and chemosensitivity. The correlation between NLR and the outcome of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer patients has not been elucidated yet. The aim of this study is to evaluate NLR as one of the possible markers to predict the outcome of NAC in patients with TNBC by a retrospective investigation of the consecutive patient series treated with a standardized single protocol in our institute. Experimental Design: NLR was evaluated in a total of 177 patients with early-stage breast cancer treated with NAC consisting FEC (5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide) followed by weekly paclitaxel followed by curative surgery. The correlation between NLR and the prognosis including the efficacy of the NAC was evaluated retrospectively. NLR was calculated from the preoperative blood sample by dividing the absolute neutrophil count by the absolute lymphocyte count. On the basis of previous studies, an NLR value of 3.0 was used as the cut-off value to discriminate between high-NLR (3.0 and over) and low-NLR (less than 3.0) groups. Results: NLR distributed from 0.5 to 10.6 with a median of 2.0. Fifty-eight patients with low NLR (less than 3) had a higher pCR rate (p<0.001), and more frequently diagnosed to have TNBC (p<0.001) compared with those with high NLR (3 and over). Among TNBC patients who achieved pCR, DFS (p = 0.006) and OS (p<0.001) were significantly longer in patients with low NLR than that with high NLR. Low NLR was associated with a significantly favorable prognosis in TNBC patients who achieved pCR, according to univariate analysis (p = 0.044, HR = 0.06). Conclusions: Low NLR in patients with TNBC could be expected to show high efficacy, and favorable outcome after NAC. Citation Format: Yuka Asano, Shinichiro Kashiwagi, Tamami Morisaki, Satoru Noda, Hidemi Kawajiri, Tsutomu Takashima, Naoyoshi Onoda, Kosei Hirakawa. Predictive value of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio for the efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1824. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1824