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. 2024 Sep 30:16:1321-1328.
doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S481142. eCollection 2024.

Prognostic Study of Inflammatory Markers in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients Receiving Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy

Linbo Tang  1 , Xinjing Li  2 , Yongbin Wang  1 , Yuanhe Tong  1
Affiliations

Prognostic Study of Inflammatory Markers in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients Receiving Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy

Linbo Tang et al. Cancer Manag Res. .

Abstract

Purpose: Inflammatory markers in the blood have been linked to tumor prognosis, but their specific prognostic significance in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is not well established. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in this patient population.

Patients and methods: A total of 406 non-metastatic NPC patients were included in the study. NLR, PLR, and LMR were stratified according to their average values. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Cox multivariate regression analysis was performed to evaluate the associations of NLR, PLR, and LMR with PFS and OS.

Results: Patients with NLR > 2.78 had worse PFS (P = 0.008) and OS (P < 0.001); PLR > 162.48 was related to lower PFS (P = 0.018) but not OS (P = 0.29); LMR > 5.05 showed no significant difference in PFS and OS compared to LMR ≤ 5.05 (P values were 0.13 and 0.94, respectively). Multivariate analysis indicated that NLR was an independent prognostic factor for PFS (HR, 1.674; 95% CI, 1.006-2.784; P = 0.047) and OS (HR, 4.143; 95% CI, 2.111-8.129; P = 0.000), while PLR and LMR did not demonstrate significant associations with PFS and OS.

Conclusion: This study identifies NLR as a novel and independent prognostic indicator for NPC patients receiving IMRT, offering valuable insights that could inform future clinical decision-making. In contrast, PLR and LMR did not demonstrate significant prognostic value in this context.

Keywords: inflammatory markers; lymphocyte to monocyte ratio; nasopharyngeal carcinoma; neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio; platelet to lymphocyte ratio; prognosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Kaplan-Meier curves for progression-free survival (A) and overall survival (B) of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on neutrophil−to−lymphocyte ratio (NLR).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Kaplan-Meier curves for progression-free survival (A) and overall survival (B) of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on platelet−to−lymphocyte ratio (PLR).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Kaplan-Meier curves for progression-free survival (A) and overall survival (B) of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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