Br J Cancer: Pre-radiation neutral granulocyte lymphocyte ratio (NLR): prognostic indicator for patients with oral and pharynx cancer.

In developed countries, the incidence of oral cancer is on the rise.
Human PapillomaVirus (HPV) is an infectious pathogen that currently studies the degree of inflammatory response of hosts to persistent HPV infections to help improve tumor transformation, cancer treatment response, and patient prognosis.
Neogenital granulocyte lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a simple biomarker of systemic inflammation and has been shown to be a prognostic marker for several solid cancers, including prostate, kidney, stomach, brain and pharynx cancers.
the study was designed to assess the prognostic effects of pre-treatment NLR on patients with oral and pharynx cancer.
the study analyzed a total of 884 patients who had completed oral and pharynx cancer radiotherapy (RT) and had blood cell counts before radiotherapy from 2002 to 2013.
NLR values were total neutral granulocytes/lymphocytes and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival.
use linear and Cox regression methods for single- and multi-variable analysis.
survival rates in different HPV states, the researchers found that the median for RT's pre-NLR was 3.
survival rate (OS) was higher than that of patients with NLR≥3 (5 years OS 85 vs 74%).
and layered analysis based on HPV status, the OS differences in patients were still significant.
no recurrence rate (FFR), local control rate (LRC), and no distant recurrence rate (FDR) were better in patients with NLR-lt;3.
in multivariable analysis, the negative effects of rt pre-NLR elevated on OS, FFR, and LRC are still significant.
based on a strated analysis of tumor (T) stages and the overall survival rate of NLR, the results reveal that pre-radiation NLR is an independent prognostic factor in patients with oral and pharynx cancer, independent of the status of HPV.
patients with lower NLR had better overall survival and disease control rates.
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