Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Oct 4:13:1228076.
doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1228076. eCollection 2023.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a new prognostic factor in cancers: a narrative review

Kian Heshmat-Ghahdarijani  1 , Vida Sarmadi  2 , Afshin Heidari  2 , Alireza Falahati Marvasti  3 , Sina Neshat  2   4 , Sina Raeisi  2
Affiliations
Review

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a new prognostic factor in cancers: a narrative review

Kian Heshmat-Ghahdarijani et al. Front Oncol. .

Abstract

The increasing incidence of cancer globally has highlighted the significance of early diagnosis and improvement of treatment strategies. In the 19th century, a connection was made between inflammation and cancer, with inflammation recognized as a malignancy hallmark. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), calculated from a complete blood count, is a simple and accessible biomarker of inflammation status. NLR has also been proven to be a prognostic factor for various medical conditions, including mortality classification in cardiac patients, infectious diseases, postoperative complications, and inflammatory states. In this narrative review, we aim to assess the prognostic potential of NLR in cancer. We will review recent studies that have evaluated the association between NLR and various malignancies. The results of this review will help to further understand the role of NLR in cancer prognosis and inform future research directions. With the increasing incidence of cancer, it is important to identify reliable and accessible prognostic markers to improve patient outcomes. The study of NLR in cancer may provide valuable insights into the development and progression of cancer and inform clinical decision-making.

Keywords: NLR; cancer prognosis; malignancy; neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio; prognostic factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Siegel RL, Miller KD, Fedewa SA, Ahnen DJ, Meester RGS, Barzi A, et al. . Colorectal cancer statistics, 2017. CA Cancer J Clin (2017) 67:177–93. doi: 10.3322/caac.21395 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Omran AR. (2001). The Epidemiologic Transition: A Theory of the Epidemiology of Population Change. The Milbank Quarterly 83(4):731–757. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0009.2005.00398.x - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gospodarowicz M, O’Sullivan B. Prognostic factors in cancer. Semin Surg Oncol (2003) 21:13–8. doi: 10.1002/ssu.10016 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hanahan D, Weinberg RA. Hallmarks of cancer: the next generation. Cell (2011) 144:646–74. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.02.013 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cupp MA, Cariolou M, Tzoulaki I, Aune D, Evangelou E, Berlanga-Taylor AJ. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and cancer prognosis: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies. BMC Med (2020) 18:360. doi: 10.1186/s12916-020-01817-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources