Neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratio in patients after resection for hepato-pancreatico-biliary malignancies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) or platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were associated with outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for a hepatopancreatico-biliary (HPB) malignancy.

METHOD: Between 2000 and 2013, 452 patients who underwent an HPB procedure for a malignant indication were identified. Clinicopathological characteristics, NLR, and PLR, as well as short- and long-term outcomes were analyzed. High NLR and PLR were classified using a cut-off value of 5 and 190, respectively, based on ROC curve analysis.

RESULTS: Patients with low versus high NLR and PLR had similar baseline characteristics with regard to performance status and tumor stage (all P > 0.05). Elevated PLR (HR = 1.40) tends to be association with shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS) (P = 0.05), whereas NLR was not a predictor of shorter RFS. Differently, both elevated NLR (HR = 1.94) and PLR (HR = 1.79) were associated with worse overall survival (OS) (both P < 0.05). Patients with NLR ≥5 and those with PLR ≥190 had a significantly shorter OS compared to patients with NLR <5 and PLR <190, respectively (log-rank test, both P < 0.05). Moreover, patients who had both NLR and PLR elevated had worse OS compared to patients with either one or none inflammatory markers elevated (log-rank P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION: Elevated NLR and PLR were predictors of worse long-term outcome among patients with HPB malignancy undergoing resection.