Prognostic Value of Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio in Second Line Advanced Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Ahmed El Bastawisy, Maha Yahia, Abdel Rahman M. Abdel Rahman, Rabab Gaafar

Medical Oncology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Surgical Oncology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

DOI: 10.4236/jct.2014.57080                

Abstract

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a lethal disease and hence the strong need for identifying new prognostic factors. Methods: This is a retrospective study including all eligible patients with advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) presenting to National Cancer Institute, Cairo University. Neutrophil lymphocyte (N/L) ratio was assessed before second line chemotherapy. 2.5 was used as the cutoff point. Endpoints were the assessment of correlation between N/L ratio and clinical response (CR), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: 52 patients (19 stage III and 33 stage IV) MPM were included and followed up during the period from July 2009 till November 2012 with a median follow-up period of 2.6 months. 87.5% of patients with N/L ratio > 2.5 showed progressive disease versus 91.7% in patients with N/L ratio < 2.5 (P-value = 0.66). 6-month PFS was 11% for patients with N/L ratio > 2.5 versus 14% for patients with N/L ratio < 2.5 (P-value = 0.001). 6-month OS was 72% for patients with N/L ratio > 2.5 versus 66% for patients with N/L ratio < 2.5 (P-value = 0.4). Conclusion: N/L ratio is a potential prognostic marker for advanced MPM treated with second line chemotherapy.

Keywords

Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio, Mesothelioma

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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