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Published on: May 1, 2015
Inflammatory Biomarkers and Disease Severity in Patients With Lymphatic Malformations
Zainab Balogun1, Amber D Shaffer2, Reema Padia3
1University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA, USA.
Objective:
To evaluate whether the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) are associated with disease severity in pediatric patients with lymphatic malformations (LMs).
Methods:
We performed a retrospective review of patients with LM treated at a tertiary pediatric hospital from 2008 to 2022. Exclusion criteria included absence of a complete blood count (CBC; n = 80), age ≥18 years (n = 34), insufficient LM documentation (n = 9), and Congenital Lipomatous Overgrowth, Vascular Malformations, Epidermal Nevis, Spinal/Skeletal Anomalies/Scoliosis syndrome (n = 1). Demographics, LM characteristics, treatments, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations were correlated with biomarker ratios derived from CBCs obtained throughout each patient's disease course. Statistical analyses included Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, Spearman correlations, and multivariable linear regression.
Results:
The cohort included 104 patients, of whom 48 (46.2%) were female. Median age at diagnosis was 1.1 years (range: birth-15.3), and median age at last follow-up was 9.3 years (range: 0.2-19.8). Patients with extremity LM demonstrated lower peak NLR (1.70 vs 3.40, P = .01), lower average NLR (1.11 vs 1.96, P = .02), lower peak PLR (124.21 vs 156.32, P = .04), and higher average LMR (5.29 vs 4.39, P = .046) compared with other locations. Those with LM involving multiple body segments had higher peak NLR (84.61 vs 3.09, P = .009), higher average NLR (5.53 vs 1.81, P = .009), and higher peak PLR (1537.04 vs 146.00, P = .03). Patients treated with sirolimus had higher peak LMR (11.15 vs 6.00, P = .001). Greater numbers of surgeries were independently associated with higher peak NLR, peak and average PLR, and lower average LMR. Higher average NLR was associated with increased ED visits, controlling for follow-up duration.
Conclusion:
Elevated inflammatory biomarkers (NLR, PLR, and LMR) correlate with greater LM disease severity, reflected by increased ED utilization, surgical interventions, and need for sirolimus therapy.
