Prognostic utility of inflammation-based biomarkers, neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio and change in neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio, in surgically resected lung cancers

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Given the poor overall survival (OR) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates for lung cancers managed with surgical resection, there is a need to identify the prognostic markers that would improve the risk stratification of patients with operable lung cancer to inform treatment decisions. We investigate the prognostic utility of two established inflammation-based scores, the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the change in neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (ΔNLR), throughout the operative period in a prospective cohort of patients with lung cancer who underwent surgical resection. METHODS: Demographic, clinical, and treatment details for 345 patients with lung cancer who underwent surgical resection between 2000 and 2019 at multiple centers across Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), were prospectively collected. Preoperative NLR and ΔNLR were calculated after which Cox univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted for OS and PFS against the known prognostic factors. RESULTS: Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that preoperative NLR >4.54, as well as day 1 and day 2 postoperative NLR (P < 0.01), was associated with increased risk for postoperative mortality (hazard ratio 1.8; P < 0.01) and PFS (P < 0.05), whereas ΔNLR was not a significant predictor of OS or PFS. CONCLUSION: Elevated NLR among patients with lung cancer who underwent surgical resection was prognostic for poor OS and PFS, whereas ΔNLR was not found to be prognostic for either OS or PFS. Further research may yet reveal a prognostic value for ΔNLR when compared across a greater time period.