title: Validation of the Preoperative Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Prognostic Factor in a European Cohort of Patients with Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study is aimed at investigating the potential prognostic impact of the preoperatively assessed platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in a European cohort of patients with non-metastatic upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinicopathological data from 180 consecutive non-metastatic UTUC patients, operated between 1990 and 2012 at a single tertiary academic center, were evaluated retrospectively. The preoperative PLR was assessed one day before surgery. Patients were categorized using a PLR cut-off value according to receiver-operating curve analysis. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Additionally, multivariate proportional Cox regression models were applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In multivariate analyses, age at the date of surgery (<65 vs. ≥65 years, hazard ratio (HR) 1.827, 95% CI 1.051-3.175, p = 0.033), pathologic T-stage (pT1 vs. pT2-4, HR 1.873, 95% CI 1.066-3.292, p = 0.029), and pretreatment PLR (<150.0 vs. ≥150.0, HR 1.782, 95% CI 1.041-3.050, p = 0.035) were independent predictors of OS. Regarding CSS, pathologic T-stage (pT1 vs. pT2-4, HR 2.176, 95% CI 1.062-4.460, p = 0.034) and pretreatment PLR (<150.0 vs. ≥150.0, HR 2.026, 95% CI 1.045-3.930, p = 0.037) were considered independent predictors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the cohort studied, patients with an elevated (≥150.0) preoperative PLR had a higher cancer-specific mortality and overall mortality after radical surgery for UTUC, compared with those with a low pretreatment PLR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Orietta
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dalpiaz
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.forename: Georg C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Ehrlich
authors.forename: Kristof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pohlmann
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stojakovic
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pummer
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zigeuner
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pichler
authors.forename: Georg C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Hutterer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology*; D002452:Cell Count; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D057234:Preoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012372:ROC Curve; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014571:Urologic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D019459:Urothelium / Q000473:pathology*; D044465:White People