In a nutshell
The authors attempted to determine whether platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) levels are associated with prognosis in lung cancer. They concluded that high levels of PLR correlate with worse survival for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Some background
For patients with lung cancer, the rates of survival can be low due to the fact that it is often diagnosed in advanced stages. Treatments need to be specifically adapted towards individual patients to have the best effect. Methods for predicting prognosis (outcome) would be helpful in treatment decisions.
High levels of inflammation in the body have been shown to be linked with worse outcomes, as it can be involved with tumor development. The PLR is a measure of the inflammation response in the body. While high PLR levels are associated with worse prognosis in some cancers, this remains unknown for lung cancer.
Methods & findings
The authors analyzed data from 13 studies, with a total of 5,314 patients with lung cancer. 3,270 of these patients were diagnosed with NSCLC.
Patients with a high PLR had a 52% increased risk of a shorter overall survival (OS; time from treatment until death from any cause) and a 21% risk of a shorter progression free survival (PFS; time from treatment until disease progression). Those with a high PLR also had a 40% increased risk of shorter disease-free survival (DFS; time from treatment until disease relapse).
For those with NSCLC, patients with a higher PLR had 63% increased risk of shorter OS and a 40% increased risk of shorter DFS.
Higher PLR levels were not linked with worse OS, PFS or DFS in patients with small-cell lung cancer.
The bottom line
Based on this meta-analysis, the authors concluded that high PLR levels are a predictive biomarker for poor prognosis in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
Published By :
International journal of cancer. Journal international du cancer
Date :
Feb 24, 2016
