Abstract
Pediatric brain tumors are the most common solid tumor type and the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. The immune system plays an important role in cancer pathogenesis and in the response to immunotherapy treatments. T lymphocytes are key elements for the response of the immune system to cancer cells and have been associated with prognosis of different cancers. Neutrophils on the other hand, which secrete pro-angiogenic and anti-apoptotic factors, enhance the ability of tumor cells to grow and develop into metastases. We conducted a retrospective study of 120 pediatric brain cancer patients and 171 elective pediatric patients hospitalized in Dana Children's Hospital and Sheba Medical Center. Data on age, sex, treatment, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte count were collected from routinely performed preoperative blood tests. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) were calculated and significance was determined by paired T test. p < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. NLR was significantly higher in the pediatric brain cancer patients. The high NLR in pediatric brain cancer patients is the result of a combination of low lymphocytes and high neutrophils. Both of these factors can have a role in cancer development and propagation and also in response to therapy.
Highlights
Pediatric brain tumors are the most common solid tumor type and the leading cause of cancerrelated deaths in children aged 0–14 years [1]
In this study we investigated Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in pediatric brain cancer patients on day of diagnosis before any treatment administration
Clinical data from pediatric brain cancer patients (M = malignant group) and elective pediatric patients hospitalized for hernia repair were retrospectively analyzed
Summary
Pediatric brain tumors are the most common solid tumor type and the leading cause of cancerrelated deaths in children aged 0–14 years [1]. Failure to eliminate tumor cells or keeping the tumor cells in a dormant state by the immune system are included in the “hallmarks of cancer” [2]. Understanding these underlying mechanisms has provided a basis for the development of new immunotherapies against tumors. Lymphocytes have, among others, an anti-tumor effect [3]. T lymphocytes are key elements to eliminate cancer cells and their dysfunction have been associated with development of cancer [4] and prognosis for several cancer types
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