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01-11-2014 | Research Article

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio acts as a prognostic factor for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Authors: Xing Li, Zhan-Hong Chen, Xiao-Kun Ma, Jie Chen, Dong-Hao Wu, Qu Lin, Min Dong, Li Wei, Tian-Tian Wang, Dan-Yun Ruan, Ze-Xiao Lin, Yan-Fang Xing, Yun Deng, Xiang-Yuan Wu, Jin-Yun Wen

Published in: Tumor Biology | Issue 11/2014

Abstract

Few studies investigated the prognosis of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). This study was aimed to determine the prognostic value of differential blood cell counts including blood white cells, neutrophil, lymphocyte, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet in patients with aHCC. A total of 205 ethnic Chinese aHCC patients receiving non-systematic sorafenib were analyzed retrospectively. The prognostic value of differential blood cell counts and NLR for overall survival (OS) was determined by integration into Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) score system using backward elimination model of multivariate Cox regression. As a result, NLR was confirmed to be an independent predictor for OS (p = 0.001) with the rest parameters presented negative results. Then, aHCC patients were dichotomized into two groups according to NLR values ≤2.43 or >2.43. Patients with low NLR presented lower CLIP score and higher 6-month survival rate (56.1 vs 25.9 %) compared with patients with high NLR level. Besides, low NLR level was associated with favorable prognostic factors such as lower α-fetoprotein, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin, as well as decreased incidence of ascites, portal vein thrombosis, and metastasis. Besides, low NLR level was associated less white cells and neutrophil granulocytes, as well as more lymphocyte. In summary, the present study firstly indentified NLR as an independent prognostic factor in aHCC patients receiving no systematic sorafenib.

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Title: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio acts as a prognostic factor for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Xing Li
Zhan-Hong Chen
Xiao-Kun Ma
Jie Chen
Dong-Hao Wu
Qu Lin
Min Dong
Li Wei
Tian-Tian Wang
Dan-Yun Ruan
Ze-Xiao Lin
Yan-Fang Xing
Yun Deng
Xiang-Yuan Wu
Jin-Yun Wen
Publication date: 01-11-2014
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Tumor Biology / Issue 11/2014
Print ISSN: 1010-4283
Electronic ISSN: 1423-0380
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-014-2360-8

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