Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may be preoperative marker for prognosis in sarcoma

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) showed potential as a preoperative marker for prognosis in retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS), a sarcoma subtype that typically uses prognostic parameters that can be determined postoperatively, according to a study in the Journal of Surgical Oncology.

In this retrospective analyze, NLR values from preoperative blood tests of 78 patients with primary RPS operated between 2008 and 2018 were analyzed.

An NLR value ≥2.1 was classified as high.

More patients in the NLR-high group had high-grade tumors (71.6% vs 48%). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were impaired in patients with a high NLR compared with those who had low NLR (median OS not reached vs 74 months 95% confidence interval [CI]: 21.6-126.4, P = 0.03; median PFS not reached vs 48 months 95% CI: 6.5-98.6, P = 0.06, respectively). Statistical significance was only reached for PFS.

Reference

Netanyahu Y, Gerstenhaber F, Shamai S, et al. Innate inflammatory markers for predicting survival in retroperitoneal sarcoma [published online ahead of print, 2020 Aug 17]. J Surg Oncol. 2020;10.1002/jso.26178. doi:10.1002/jso.26178