Can the level of white blood cells in your blood predict your treatment result?

This study looked at whether the levels of two types of cells in your blood before surgery can predict the likely course for your condition.

Surgery is the preferred treatment for patients with colorectal cancer that has not started to spread.
Despite high success rates, the cancer returns in almost 30% of cases. This makes predicting the likelihood of the cancer returning very important. Chemotherapy may be given after surgery to help prevent cancer returning. However, there is limited evidence that this is effective when given to every patient.

The PLR, or platelet to lymphocyte ratio (a marker for inflammation in the body) may be a method of predicting the likelihood of the cancer returning. 

234 patients with stage II colorectal cancer were included in this study. After their surgery, the patients were seen by their doctor every 3 months.

The authors then divided the patients into two groups depending on their PLR test results. Group A had a low PLR and Group B had a high PLR. Patients in Group B had larger tumors which often caused a blockage or tearing of the bowel wall. 

After an average of 64 months, cancer had returned in 13% of patients. Group A had a 90% disease ­free survival rate (time after primary treatment for a cancer ends that the patient survives without any signs or symptoms of that cancer) while those in Group B had a disease ­free survival rate of 75%. 

Patients in Group B were 2.6 times less likely to survive disease-free for the duration of the study.

The authors concluded that the PLR could be useful in identifying patients with colorectal cancer that have a high risk of their cancer returning following surgery.

This study included a small number of patients. The study should be repeated again with more patients to further backup the results.

Discuss with your doctor whether platelet to lymphocyte ratio testing would be useful for your situation.