Significances of Peripheral Inflammatory Cells and Neutrophil/Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio in Breast Cancer after Resection

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer had become top leading cause of death in Taiwan and endangered women’s health worldwide. Therefore, we try to invest the peripheral inflammatory cell counts and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) from our routine practice for the predictor of prognosis of breast cancer after resection. Patients and Methods: There were 574 breast cancer patients accepted surgical resection and registered in Cancer Registry Center of our hospital. Patient’s basic profiles, peripheral neutophil, lymphocyte and platelet count were measured for study. The scales of NLR and PLR were derived from the lower and higher normal range in cell count from neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet respectively. Therefore, the scales for NLR and PLR were ≤1.62, 1.63 - 2.57, ≥2.58 and ≤224, 225 - 253, ≥254 respectively for analysis. Results: Poor 5-yr survival rate was found if higher cell counts of neutrophil and platelet (p ≤ 0.05). Three scales of NLR were ≤1.62, 1.63 - 2.57, ≥2.58, and their 5-year survival rates were 94%, 91% and 84% respectively (p = 0.019). In the subgroup of HER-2 (negative), and 3-Negative breast patients had a higher NLR of poor prognosis. But higher PLR was found less in 3-Negative and non in 3-Positive patients (p = 0.039). The PLR was ≤224, 225 - 253, ≥254 and their 5-year survival rates were 92%, 87%, and 64% respectively (p = 0.001); Multivariate Cox regression model for predictor of breast cancer patients who have 3.39 (PLR ≥ 254) and 2.45 (NLR ≥ 2.58 ) times risk (p = 0.02 and p = 0.002) of poor prognosis respectively. Conclusion: Peripheral inflammatory cell counts are easily to take in our clinical practice and have a potential role as predictors of prognosis. We have to pay attention to the trends of peripheral inflammatory cell count and their ratio in our clinical practice where possible.