KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of NLR at diagnosis in DLBCL compared to R-IPI and NCCN-IPI.
- Researchers noticed that high NLR is linked to poorer treatment outcomes and survival in DLBCL, making it a valuable, cost-effective prognostic marker.
G Korkmaz and the team aimed to investigate the prognostic value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at diagnosis in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). NLR is an inexpensive and easily accessible parameter that may provide valuable prognostic information.
By comparing NLR with established prognostic factors such as R-IPI and NCCN-IPI, the research sought to determine the effectiveness of NLR as a predictive tool for treatment response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with DLBCL.
They performed an inclusive analysis of 100 newly diagnosed patients with DLBCL. They examined the correlations between NLR and various clinical characteristics, treatment responses, and survival outcomes. The NLR cut-off value was determined to be 3.5 based on the receiver operating characteristic curve.
About 53 patients had an NLR of 3.5, while 47 patients had an NLR < 3.5. Patients with NLR ≥ 3.5 exhibited a complete response (CR) rate of 66.0% (n = 31/47), compared to a CR rate of 98.1% (n = 51/52) in patients with NLR < 3.5. The median PFS was 132.5 months (95% CI 103.1-162.0). PFS was significantly shorter in the NLR ≥ 3.5 group (36 months) compared to the NLR < 3.5 group (185 months) with a P-value of < 0.000.
The median OS for NLR ≥ 3.5 was 79.2 months (95% CI 51.6-106.8), while for NLR < 3.5, it was 197.8 months (95% CI 173.2-222.5). NLR ≥ 3.5 was associated with worse OS compared to NLR < 3.5 (P = 0.000). High NLR (≥ 3.5) correlated with lower treatment response rates, higher relapse, and increased death rates.
The study concluded that high NLR was associated with poorer treatment response, shorter PFS, and reduced OS. NLR can serve as a cost-effective and easy-to-interpret prognostic marker in patients with DLBCL.
The study received no funds.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39212439/
Korkmaz G, Ceran F, Dağdaş S, et al. (2024). “Prognostic Role of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio at Diagnosis in Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.” Niger J Clin Pract. 2024;27(8):1012-1019. doi:10.4103/njcp.njcp_726_23
