Role of Pre-Operative of Neutrophil/Lymphocyte and Platelet/Lymphocyte Ratio in Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor prognosis and is ranked in the top 2 leading causes of death in Taiwan. The clinical features which affect survival rate should be noticed for alarming. We tried to study the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) for the predictor of prognosis of HCC. Patients and Methods: A total of 525 patients with HCC were undergone surgical or non-surgical treatment registered in Cancer Registry Center of our hospital. The clinical features included patient’s basic profiles, and neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet count in the peripheral blood at the time of diagnosis. The ratio of neutrophil/lymphocyte and platelate/lymphocyte was measured and their survival rates were analyzed based on their ratio scales. Results: Three scales of NLR and PLR were ≤1.62, 1.63 - 2.57, ≥2.58 and ≤224, 225 - 253, ≥254 respectively. Either higher NLR ≥ 2.58 or higher PLR ≥ 254 was found mostly in the male and TMN stage III and IV with a significant difference (P < 0.01). The 5-year survival rates of NLR ≤ 1.62, 1.63 - 2.57, ≥2.58 were 33.9%, 33.7%, and 16.7% respectively (P < 0.001). The mean survival times were 34.1 ± 1.4, 29.3 ± 8.1, and 14.2 ± 2.1 months for the scales of PLR ≤ 224, 225 - 253, and ≥ 254 respectively. The 5-year survival rates were 25.5%, 36.4%, and 7.7% for the groups of the PLR ≤ 224, 225 - 253, and ≥254 respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet are players in cancer growth and have a potential role as predictors of survival in our HCC patients. Therefore, we should pay more attention to the higher NLR or PLR which will result in a poorer prognosis in our patients.