Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio: Side by Side with Molecular Mutations in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer—The INOLUNG Study.

Simple Summary: This retrospective observational study recruited 380 patients, 115 with lung cancer and 265 in the control group. Both the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were significantly higher in cancer patients than in the control group. The correlation of PLR with the probability of lung cancer differs between men and women. CRP values did not differ according to histological types of lung cancer (p = 0.242) and were not associated with the presence of mutations in EGFR (p = 0.679). CRP values were significantly lower in NSCLC patients with PD-L1 mutations than in those without PD-L1 mutations (22.7 [IQR: 10.4;40.3] vs. 76.7 [IQR: 32.6;140] mg/L, p = 0). Background and objective: Analysis of inflammatory biomarkers, along with the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) or platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), supports the connection between inflammation and carcinogenesis. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study at the Clinical County Hospital Mureș involving patients with lung cancer. The parameters analyzed included histopathological type (NSCLC: squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma; SCLC), molecular mutations (EGFR, ALK, PD-L1), parameters from the complete blood count, inflammatory parameters, and associated comorbidities. Results: A total of 380 patients were included: 115 patients in the cancer group and 265 patients in the control group. Among patients in the lung cancer group, 88 were diagnosed with NSCLC (44 adenocarcinomas, 44 squamous cell carcinomas) and 27 with SCLC. Both NLR and PLR were significantly higher in cancer patients than in the control group (5.30 versus 2.60, p < 0.001; 217 versus 136, p < 0.001, respectively). NLR and PLR differ between men and women (p = 0.005 and p = 0.056, respectively). C-reactive protein was not correlated with either NLR (p-value: 0.0669) or PLR (p-value: 0.6733) in lung cancer patients. Conclusions: The NLR and PLR values may serve as new predictive biomarkers for the diagnosis of disease in patients with lung cancer, especially those with NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]