Preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a predictive factor for survival in nonmetastatic colorectal cancer

The pretreatment ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes (NLR) has been suggested as an indicator of poor outcome in various cancers. This study aimed to determine whether the preoperative NLR may be a predictor of survival in patients who underwent curative resection for colorectal cancer (CRC).

The records of 219 CRC patients underwent curative resection between 2008 and 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. NLR was calculated by preoperative complete blood counts. The effects of age, gender, anatomic location, histologic grade, lymphovascular invasion, pathological T, pathological N, and tumor-node-metastasis stages and NLR on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. The optimal cutoff value for NLR was determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

The best cutoff value of NLR was 2.8. Multivariate analysis showed that NLR was not a predictor of DFS. However, NLR was found as an independent prognostic factor for OS (Hazard ratio, 5.4; 95% confidence interval, 2.3-12.5; P = 0.0001).

A preoperative NLR of more than 2.8 might be an independent predictor for OS in patients with CRC. This simple and routinely available laboratory parameter may be used as a useful marker for identifying patients with a worse prognosis.