title: Preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic predictor after curative resection for non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prognostic impact of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was examined using patients with a follow-up period more than 5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and eighty four consecutive resected NSCLC patients were reviewed retrospectively. In this study, patients who were treated with a follow-up period less than 5 years were omitted,
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean value of NLR was 2.44±2.22 (range: 0.56-29.44). The 5-year survival of the patients with a high NLR (≥2.5) was significantly worse than that of the patients with a low NLR (47.06% vs. 67.84%, p<0.0001). Univariate analysis of the clinicopathological factors affecting survival revealed that age, gender, histology, pT status, pN status, high serum CEA level, positive findings of pleural lavage cytology and high NLR were significant risk factors for reduced survival. On multivariate analysis, a high NLR was an independent risk factor for reduced survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high preoperative NLR may be a convenient biomarker to identify patients with a poor prognosis after resection for NSCLC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Kihara 5200, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan. mtomita@med.miyazaki-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ayabe
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yonei
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Onitsuka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies