Utility Of Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte Ratio Research Articles

Mortality in ICU COVID-19 Patients Is Associated with Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR): Utility of NLR as a Promising Immunohematological Marker.

Achieving a suitable medical laboratory index is very important for the prediction of clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients hospitalized to the intensive care unit (ICU). The correlation between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and unfavorable outcome of COVID-19 patients hospitalized to ICU was the aim of this study. We evaluated a cross-sectional study of 312 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized to the ICU (confirmed by PCR and CT-Scan), in Babol city, Mazandaran province. WBC, RBC, lymphocyte, neutrophil, monocyte, platelet count, NLR, C-reactive protein (CRP), ESR, MCV, MHC, and other factors were evaluated. Our findings indicated that all patients aged 56 to 69 years with COVID-19 had a significant difference (P < 0.05) in neu, lymph, PLT count, NLR, ESR, Hb, and CRP. Also, NLR was significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with the death or discharge of the ICU hospitalized patients. The cut-off of NLR was 7.02 and the mean of NLR was 11.3 ± 10.93 and 5.8 ± 7.45 in death and discharge COVID-19 patients hospitalized to ICU, respectively. ROC curve indicated that, for NLR, the area under curve was 0.76. Our findings showed that NLR can be utilized as a clinical laboratory predictive parameter for mortality of COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Is Associated With the Proportion of Poorly Differentiated Components in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

IntroductionDiagnosis of poorly differentiated thyroid cancer (PDTC) requires ≥ 50% of poorly differentiated components (PDC) in Japan. However, the optimal cutoff percentage of PDC for PDTC diagnosis remains controversial. Although high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) correlates with the aggressiveness of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), whether NLR is associated with the proportion of PDC in PTC remains unstudied. Materials and methodsPatients with the pure PTC (n = 664), PTC with < 50% PDC (n = 19), or PTC with ≥ 50% PDC (n = 26) who underwent surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Twelve-year disease-specific survival and preoperative NLR were compared among these groups. ResultsTwenty seven patients died from thyroid cancer. The PTC with ≥ 50% PDC group (80.7%) showed significantly worse 12-year disease-specific survival than the pure PTC group (97.2%) (P < 0.001); however, the < 50% PDC group (94.7%) did not (P = 0.91). The PTC with ≥ 50% PDC group had a significantly higher NLR than the pure PTC (P < 0.001) and the PTC with < 50% PDC groups (P < 0.001), whereas there was no significant difference in the NLR between the pure PTC and the PTC with < 50% PDC groups (P = 0.48). ConclusionsPTC with ≥ 50% PDC is more aggressive than either pure PTC or PTC with < 50% PDC, and NLR potentially reflects the PDC proportion. These results support the validity of 50% PDC as a cut-off for PDTC diagnosis and indicate the utility of NLR as a biomarker for PDC proportion.

Correlation between the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Multiple Sclerosis: Recent Understanding and Potential Application Perspectives.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic debilitating immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system, which causes demyelination and neuroaxonal damage. Low-grade systemic inflammation has been considered to lead to pathogenesis owing to the amplification of pathogenic immune response activation. However, there is a shortage of reliable systemic inflammatory biomarkers to predict the disease activity and progression of MS. In MS patients, a series of cytokines and chemokines promote the proliferation of neutrophils and lymphocytes and their transfer to the central nervous system. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), which combines the information of the inherent and adaptive parts of the immune system, represents a reliable measure of the inflammatory burden. In this review, we aimed to discuss the inflammatory response in MS, mainly the function of lymphocytes and neutrophils, which can be implemented in the utility of NLR as a diagnostic tool in MS patients. The underlying pathophysiology is highlighted to identify new potential targets for neuroprotection and to develop novel therapeutic strategies.

Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts treatment efficacy and prognosis of cytotoxic anticancer drugs, molecular targeted drugs, and immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

BackgroundNeutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has recently attracted attention as a prognostic predictor in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who receive immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, the utility of NLR in relation to cytotoxic anticancer drugs or molecular targeted drugs remains unclear. We determined if NLR could predict the treatment efficacy and prognosis in NSCLC patients who receive cytotoxic anticancer drugs or molecular targeted drugs, as well as ICIs, in a cross-sectional manner.MethodsOf 658 patients with advanced NSCLC who received first-line systemic treatment in our hospital between 2008 and 2019, 312 who met the analytical criteria were included in the study. We retrospectively analyzed the ability of NLR with a cut-off value of 5 to predict time to treatment failure (TTF) and overall survival (OS) in patients who received the following treatments: first-line treatment with molecular targeted drugs (mt group, n=100); first-line treatment with cytotoxic anticancer drugs (wt group, n=212); and first-line treatment with cytotoxic anticancer drugs followed by ICIs (ICI group, n=58).ResultsIn the high- and low-NLR mt subgroups, median TTFs were 6.7 and 14.9 months (P<0.01), respectively, and median survival times (MSTs) were 17.8 and 39.1 months (P<0.01), respectively. In the high- and low-NLR wt subgroups, median TTFs were 1.5 and 5.8 months (P<0.01), and MSTs were 6.3 and 20.7 months (P<0.01), respectively. In the high- and low-NLR ICI subgroups, median TTFs were 1.3 and 6.8 months (P<0.01), and MSTs were 9.2 and 25.8 months (P<0.01), respectively. Multivariate analysis identified NLR as a significant independent predictor of TTF [hazard ratio (HR) 1.89, P=0.01; HR 2.51, P<0.01; and HR 5.06, P<0.01 in the mt, wt, and ICI groups, respectively) and OS (HR 3.81, P<0.01; HR 2.59, P<0.01; and HR 2.48, P<0.01, respectively).ConclusionsThis study showed that NLR might be a predictor of treatment efficacy and prognosis in advanced NSCLC patients who receive various systemic treatments. This finding of consistent applicability of NLR to a wide variety of systemic treatments is of great significance.

Association of baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) with response and survival in advanced melanoma (MEL) receiving PD-1 inhibitors.

9571 Background: Inflammation is an adverse prognostic factor in cancer. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an easily derived biomarker of systemic inflammation. Several studies have demonstrated that elevated NLR is linked with adverse prognosis in patients (pts) receiving immunotherapy including PD-1 inhibitors. To evaluate the prognostic utility of NLR, we performed a retrospective evaluation of NLR and other covariates in stage IV cutaneous MEL. Methods: Stage IV cutaneous MEL pts who received anti PD-1 therapy at the University of Pittsburgh between 2014-2018 were included in this analysis. PD-1 blockade was continued until progression or intolerable toxicity. Tumor assessment was performed at baseline and every 12 weeks and response classified per RECIST v1.1. Clinical and demographic data were obtained. Baseline NLR was defined based on values at the first treatment date. Descriptive statistics were created for all covariates. Kaplan Meier and Cox proportional hazard regression were performed to assess how variables related to response (ORR), overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) measured in months (mos). Results: 172 pts with advanced MEL were evaluated. Elevated NLR was associated with poorer PFS and OS and ORR at all cutoffs (NLR≥2 to NLR≥5) with NLR≥5 having the greatest discriminative value. ORR steadily declined with increasing NLR: NLR≥1 (ORR 64%), NLR≥2 (ORR 61%), NLR≥3 (ORR 52%), NLR≥4 (ORR 43%), NLR≥5 (ORR 43%). Elevated NLR ( &lt; 5 vs. ≥5) was associated with poorer PFS (median 21.5 mths vs. 5.2 mos; p = 0.00041) and OS (median 35.4 os vs. 10.6 mos; p &lt; 0.0001). In a multivariate model, elevated NLR ( &lt; 5 vs. ≥5) was independently associated with poorer OS/PFS separate from ulceration, performance status and elevated LDH. There was no evidence of an age-related increase or decrease in NLR. Conclusions: Baseline NLR was independently associated with response, PFS and OS in the largest retrospective series of advanced MEL pts treated with PD-1 blockade. NLR independent of other factors predicted poorer PFS and OS at NLR cutoffs (NLR≥3 to NLR≥5), although NLR≥5 segregated pts best. NLR is an inexpensive and easily obtained real-world biomarker that has a high value in predicting outcomes to PD-1 blockade.

High neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as an independent adverse prognostic factor in racial minorities with hepatocellular carcinoma.

218 Background: An elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been shown to portend poor prognosis in various types of cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, studies that evaluated the prognostic significance of NLR did not include large numbers of Blacks and Hispanics. This single-center, retrospective study conducted on a large, racially diverse cohort explores the utility of NLR in predicting outcomes in minority populations. Methods: We identified patients (pts) diagnosed with HCC at our institution between the years 2000 and 2016. We calculated NLR at the time of diagnosis and divided pts into two groups: high NLR (NLR &gt; 3) and low NLR (NLR ≤3). Demographics, clinical characteristics, MELD/MELD-Na scores, ALBI scores and AFP levels were collected. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional-hazards model was used for multivariate analysis. Results: 751 pts with HCC were included in this study. 542 (72%) were male. Median age was 61 years. 43% were Hispanic, 33% Black, 22% White and 2% Other. NLR was high in 246 pts (32.7%, mean 6.0 ± 3.8) and low in 505 pts (67.2%, mean 1.69 ± 0.7). Overall survival (OS) was significantly lower in the high NLR group (median survival 25.4 vs 49.6 months, HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.41-2.17, P &lt; 0.01). Subgroup analysis showed differences remained significant in the Hispanic group (n = 259, HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.30-2.86, P &lt; 0.01) and the Black group (n = 194, HR 1.99, 95% CI 1.28-3.09, P &lt; 0.01). The high NLR group had significantly higher MELD scores (mean 12.1 ± 5.0 vs 10.1 ± 3.8, P &lt; 0.01), MELD-Na scores (13.9 ± 5.6 vs 11.3 ± 4.4, P &lt; 0.01), ALBI scores (-2.05 ± 0.7 vs -2.28 ± 0.6, P &lt; 0.01) and AFP levels (median 28.9 vs 46.9, P = 0.02). An NLR &gt; 3 on multivariate analysis remained significantly associated with worse OS (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.03-1.68; P = 0.02) after adjusting for age, gender, AFP and MELD-Na. Conclusions: NLR &gt; 3 at the time of diagnosis had a strong correlation with poor OS in a large, racially diverse cohort of pts with HCC. This correlation held true for both Hispanic and Black patients, who have been previously underrepresented in similar studies. Our findings support the utility of NLR as a prognostic tool in HCC.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio on admission is a good predictor for all-cause mortality in hypertensive patients over 80\xa0years of age

BackgroundImmuno-inflammation plays a major role in the process of hypertension. We aimed to evaluate the association between inflammatory markers, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), red cell distribution width (RDW) and all-cause mortality in elderly patients with hypertension.MethodsA total of 341 hypertensive patients over 80 years of age were included to this study. The NLR and RDW were measured on admission and all the selected patients were followed up for up to 90 days. Kaplan–Meier curves were plotted to evaluate the association between the NLR and the all-cause mortality at follow-up. Using Cox regression models, we investigated the prognostic value of NLR and RDW for all-cause mortality.ResultsPatients with higher quartile of NLR linked to high mortality in hypertensive patients at 90 day after admission (16.47%,13.25%,1.14%,1.17% respectively; χ2 = 20.581,P = 0.000). Surviving patients had lower RDW (13.61 ± 1.37 VS 14.18 ± 1.38, p = 0.041) and NLR (4.97 ± 5.72 VS 7.95 ± 6.88,p = 0.011). The receiver operating curve (ROC) of the NLR for all-cause mortality had an area under the curve (AUC) =0.714 (95%CI: 0.629–0.798, P = 0.000), with acritical value of 2.97, with sensitivity of 92.6%, and a specificity of 52.5%. The ROC of the RDW to predict all-cause mortality, had an AUC =0.654 (95%CI:0.548–0.761, P = 0.008), with acritical value of 13.2%.The Kaplan–Meier curve showed a significant difference between different NLR levels (p = 0.002). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis shown 3rd quartile of NLR(RR = 9.646, 95% CI 1.302–34.457, P = 0.041) and 4th quartiles(RR = 16.451, 95% CI 2.137–66.643, P = 0.007) were found to independently predict all-cause death in hypertensive patients over 80 years of age. Higher rank of NLR was link to higher incidence of all-cause death for such patients.ConclusionThe findings of the present study demonstrate the potential utility of NLR in risk stratification of elderly patients with hypertension to provide information for clinical treatment strategies.

The utility of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in determining survival outcomes in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical cystectomy for high-risk bladder cancer.

419 Background: Pre-operative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been found to be associated with adverse pathological results and poor long-term outcomes in patients treated with radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial carcinoma (UC). We aimed to evaluate the predictive utility of NLR in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and RC for high-risk UC. Methods: We reviewed the records of 585 patients treated with NAC and RC at our institution from 2000-2013. We calculated NLR before initiation of NAC (pre-chemo NLR) and during the recovery window between NAC and RC (post-chemo NLR).. We excluded patients with concomitant infection, blood disorder, or second malignancy. We used univariate and multivariate CART models to determine the optimal NLR cut-off for survival outcomes. We estimated disease-specific (DSS) and overall survival (OS) using the Kaplan-Meier method. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to explore the association of NLR with DSS and OS. Results: 584 patients had NLR information in our cohort. The median follow-up among survivors was 4.9 years (IQR 2.4 – 8.8 years). We identified optimal NLR cut-points of 7.1 for pre-chemo, 4.9 for post-chemo, and 1.9 for change in NLR [(post-chemo) – (pre-chemo)]. Post-chemo NLR showed the strongest association with OS and DSS. Patients with a post-chemo NLR ≥ 4.9 (n = 103) had a 5-yr DSS and OS of 42% and 33% respectively, compared to 69% and 58% for patients with an NLR &lt; 4.9 (n = 481). In the multivariable analysis, post-chemo NLR ≥ 4.9 was an independent predictor of DSS (HR = 2.5 [95% CI:1.8, 3.6] p &lt; 0.001 ), and OS (HR = 2.1 [95% CI:1.6, 2.8] p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: A post-chemo NLR ≥ 4.9 is associated with poor DSS and OS in patients treated with NAC and RC. These findings may help guide treatment planning for adjuvant therapy following RC in patients with high-risk clinically localized bladder cancer.