title: Granulocyte-to-dendritic cell-ratio as marker for the immune monitoring in patients with renal cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been shown to be a predictor of patients' outcome for several types of malignancies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using multicolor flow cytometry we searched for predictive markers to monitor blood immune cells in patients with renal cell carcinoma undergoing surgery of the primary tumor. Due to a high standard deviation, pre-surgery NLR values did not significantly differ between tumor patients and the control group. In contrast, the granulocyte-to-dendritic cell (DC) ratio revealed significant higher values in tumor patients. Whereas NLR values did not differ between patients with early stage tumors and locally advanced tumors, the granulocyte/DC ratio was significantly different in these groups. Additionally, comparison of both ratios before and after tumor resection in the two groups "open surgery" and "laparoscopy" could demonstrate the suitability of granulocyte/DC ratio as a marker for immune monitoring.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Granulocyte/DC ratio may serve as a new putative biomarker for the immune monitoring of tumor patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Med. Immunology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Strasse 2, D-06097 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Riemann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Med. Immunology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Strasse 2, D-06097 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hase
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Urology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, D-06097 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Kersten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Med. Immunology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Strasse 2, D-06097 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seliger
keywords: Dendritic cell; Flow cytometry; Immune monitoring; Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR); Renal cell carcinoma