Published in:
01-11-2016 | Original Scientific Report
The Prognostic Value of Preoperative Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Colorectal Cancer
Authors:
Hidemasa Kubo, Yasutoshi Murayama, Tomohiro Arita, Yoshiaki Kuriu, Masayoshi Nakanishi, Eigo Otsuji
Published in:
World Journal of Surgery
|
Issue 11/2016
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ABSTRACT
Background
The prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been reported in several cancers included colorectal cancer; however, it is not clear if there is an association between NLR and cancer-specific survival in colorectal cancer. And the optimal cut-off value is controversial. This study was designed to assess the prognostic value of preoperative NLR in colorectal cancer patients.
Methods
Total 823 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for all stages of colorectal cancer in our hospital between January 2006 and December 2011 were included in the study. Preoperative NLR was calculated from their hospital records.
Results
Using the receiver-operating characteristic curve, we found that the optimal preoperative NLR cut-off value that was strongly associated with cancer-specific survival was 2.1. Using this value, 505 patients were identified as having high NLR (≥2.1) and 397 patients were identified as having low NLR (<2.1). High NLR was associated with preoperative serum albumin values <4.0 g/dl (p < 0.001), positive preoperative serum C-reactive protein (CRP; p < 0.001), preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) values ≥5.0 ng/dl (p = 0.003), and stage progression (p = 0.002). Cox proportional hazard analyses identified preoperative high NLR as an independent poor prognostic factor (p = 0.020, HR 1.66 (95 % CI: 1.08–2.63)). When comparing stage of disease, preoperative high-NLR patients with Stage III disease (p = 0.024) and Stage IV disease (p = 0.036) had significantly poorer prognoses.
Conclusions
In this study, we have demonstrated that preoperative NLR ≥2.1 was a prognostic indicator for cancer-specific survival of colorectal cancer patients.