Prognostic value of changes in neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) for patients with cervical cancer undergoing definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT).

Abstract

Background: Peripheral NLR, PLR, and LMR have prognostic value in various malignancies as they are surrogates for inflammation. Recent studies have identified NLR, PLR, and LMR correlate with patient outcomes in cervical cancer patients however there remains uncertainty regarding the optimal time point for assessing these markers.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cervical cancer patients underoing definitive chemoradiation therapy (dCRT). NLR, PLR, and LMR values were identified before, during, and after dCRT and both relative and absolute changes in these values were calculated and compared with patient outcmoes.

Results: Ninety-nine patients who met the includsion criteria were identified. NLR values before, during, and after dCRT correlated with progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). In addition, increasing NLR after treatment was associated with worse PFS and OS. LMR before and after treatment had a positive correlation with PFS however increasing LMR during dCRT was found to have a negative correlation with PFS and OS.

Conclusions: NLR serves as a prognostic indicator irrespective of timing with response to dCRT. While higher LMR before treatment was a positive prognostic indicator, increasing LMR was found to negatively correlate with PFS and OS.