[Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic factor in gastric cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To explore whether neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an effective prognostic marker in gastric cancer.


METHODS
Clinical data of 775 patients with gastric cancer in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from 1994 to 2006 were analyzed retrospectively. According to preoperative NLR, the patients were divided into the low NLR group (NLR≤3.79, n=652) and the high NLR group (NLR>3.79, n=123). The 5-year survival rates of two groups of different TNM stage, different surgical intervention were separately analyzed.


RESULTS
The 5-year survival rates in the low NLR group and high NLR group were 44.0% and 12.2% respectively (P<0.01). In different TNM stages: stage I (97.8% vs 33.3%), stage II (55.4% vs 32.0%), stage IIIA (30.2% vs 11.1%), stage IIIB (15.5% vs 8.3%), stage IV (10.7% vs 2.1%), and in different surgical intervention: D1 curative gastrectomy (93.3% 33.3%), D2 group (51.3% vs 20.4%), D3 group (42.4% vs 10.5%), D4 group (14.3% vs 2.0%), and in palliative operation group (8.3% vs 2.2%). There were significant differences of 5-year survival rate in TNM staging and surgical procedures between the high and low NLR groups (all P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative NLR may be a prognostic marker in patients with gastric cancer.
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. majinp@gmail.com
Jin-ping
JP
Ma
Zhi
Z
Wang
Jian-wei
JW
Lin
Kai-ming
KM
Wu
Jian-hui
JH
Chen
Chuang-qi
CQ
Chen
Shi-rong
SR
Cai
Yu-long
YL
He
Wen-hua
WH
Zhan
D000368:Aged; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009504:Neutrophils; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015996:Survival Rate