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Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Feb 21;26(5):1841.
doi: 10.3390/ijms26051841.

The Diagnostic Role of the Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Ovarian Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Magdalena Bizon  1   2 , Maciej Olszewski  1   2 , Boguslawa Krason  1   3 , Elzbieta Kochanowicz  4 , Kamil Safiejko  1   5 , Anna Borowka  6 , Joanna Sekita-Krzak  7 , Michal Pruc  1   8 , Anna Drozd  1   9 , Stepan Feduniw  10 , Basar Cander  11 , Lukasz Szarpak  1   7
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The Diagnostic Role of the Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Ovarian Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Magdalena Bizon et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is among the most lethal gynecologic malignancies, often diagnosed at advanced stages due to a lack of effective screening tools. Recent studies suggest that the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), an indicator of systemic inflammation, may serve as a potential biomarker for diagnosing and staging ovarian cancer. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, adhering to PRISMA guidelines. We searched the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases. We pooled data using a random-effects model to assess the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic performance of PLR in ovarian cancer. The meta-analysis of 22 studies comprising 5740 participants showed significantly elevated platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) values in ovarian cancer patients compared to healthy controls, with a mean difference of 46.84 (p < 0.001). Additionally, PLR demonstrated utility in distinguishing benign from malignant lesions and early-stage from advanced-stage ovarian cancer. While PLR shows potential as a cost-effective and accessible biomarker for ovarian cancer diagnosis and staging, its diagnostic accuracy remains moderate. Therefore, combining PLR with other diagnostic tools enhances clinical decision-making.

Keywords: biomarker; meta-analysis; ovarian cancer; platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Platelet–leukocyte interplay in cancer development and progression.
Figure 2
Figure 2
PRISMA flow chart.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot demonstrating PLR values among patients with ovarian cancer and healthy groups [36,40,41,42].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot demonstrating PLR values among benign and malignant ovarian cancer patients [26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,37,38,39,42,44,45,46].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot demonstrating PLR values among patients in early and advanced stages of ovarian cancer [25,30,35,38,43].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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