The role of peripheral blood cell analysis-derived inflammatory parameters in predicting malignant duodenal stenosis.

Background: The unique location and complex anatomical structure of the duodenum poses challenges for the application of endoscopic biopsy. Differentiating benign and malignant duodenal stenosis remains difficult for clinicians. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new, reliable, and cost-effective biomarker to differentiate between benign and malignant duodenal stenosis.

Methods: 140 patients diagnosed with duodenal stenosis during endoscopic examinations and subsequently underwent biopsies or surgery for pathological analysis were enrolled in the study. Based on the pathological results, patients were classified into benign duodenal stenosis group and malignant duodenal stenosis group. Clinical data and results of the initial peripheral blood analysis were collected retrospectively and analyzed.

Results: Compared to patients with benign duodenal stenosis, patients with malignant duodenal stenosis exhibited higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR, P < 0.001), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR, P < 0.001), and lower lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR, P < 0.001). Moreover, an increase in age, NLR, and AST were found to be independent risk factors for malignant duodenal stenosis. Besides, NLR > 3.42 was a more dependable predictor of malignant duodenal stenosis, with a sensitivity of 80.3% and a specificity of 91.1%.

Conclusions: Peripheral blood cells analysis derived inflammatory biomarkers such as NLR holds significant predictive value for malignant duodenal stenosis.