The combination of systemic inflammation-based marker NLR and circulating regulatory T cells predicts the prognosis of resectable pancreatic cancer patients.
BACKGROUND
The systemic inflammation response and immune impairment are closely related to the development and progression of various tumours, such as pancreatic cancer. In this study, we evaluated circulating inflammation factors and circulating regulatory T cells (Tregs) as markers of immunosuppression in a cohort of Chinese patients with resectable pancreatic cancer.


METHODS
Samples were retrospectively collected from a series of 195 pathological stage I/II pancreatic cancer patients who underwent potentially curative surgery between June 2010 and April 2014. To examine the prognostic factors, circulating systemic inflammation-based markers and Tregs, detected by flow cytometry, were analysed.


RESULTS
Univariate analyses revealed that the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), TNM stage, differentiation, chemotherapy, CA19-9 levels and presence of Tregs are significantly associated with overall survival in patients with resectable pancreatic cancers. NLR (p = 0.001, HR = 0.538), TNM stage (p = 0.004, HR = 0.593), differentiation (p = 0.011, HR = 0.46), chemotherapy (p = 0.006, HR = 0.516) and Tregs (p = 0.001, HR = 0.558) are identified as independent prognostic markers by multivariate analyses. Interestingly, we also found that high NLR levels combined with a high proportion of Tregs (p < 0.001, HR = 3.521) correlate strongly with worse survival, with a greater than 3.5-fold increased risk of death compared with those with concurrent low levels of NLR and Tregs.


CONCLUSIONS
The preoperative NLR and circulating regulatory T cells are potentially independent prognostic factors for overall survival in resectable pancreatic cancer patients. High NLR levels combined with poor immune state before surgery, as measured by Tregs, are associated with an extremely poor prognosis.
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, PR China.
He
H
Cheng
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
Guopei
G
Luo
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
Yu
Y
Lu
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
Kaizhou
K
Jin
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
Meng
M
Guo
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
Jin
J
Xu
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
Jiang
J
Long
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
Liang
L
Liu
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, PR China. Electronic address: yuxianjun@fudanpci.org.
Xianjun
X
Yu
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Fudan University, No. 270 DongAn Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China. Electronic address: liuchen@fudanpci.org.
Chen
C
Liu
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
Inflammation response; Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR); Pancreatic cancer; Prognosis; Regulatory T cells (Tregs)