Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in peripheral blood samples has been associated with prognosis in several cancers, including head and neck cancer, but in oropharyngeal carcinomas its prognostic value, especially in relation to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, has been little studied. This...

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Autores: Rodrigo, Juan Pablo|||0000-0003-3063-0890, Sánchez-Canteli, Mario|||0000-0003-0343-0041, Triantafyllou, Asterios, de Bree, Remco|||0000-0001-7128-5814, Mäkitie, Antti A.|||0000-0002-0451-2404, Franchi, Alessandro|||0000-0002-1332-5838, Hellquist, Henrik, Saba, Nabil F.|||0000-0003-4972-1477, Stenman, Göran|||0000-0003-1017-7363, Takes, Robert P., Valero Mayor, Cristina|||0000-0003-3397-2888, Zidar, Nina|||0000-0001-6866-3220, Ferlito, Alfio|||0000-0002-8247-8002
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:273359
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/273359
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/cancers15030802
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Meta-analysis
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio
Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
Prognosis
Descripción
Sumario:Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in peripheral blood samples has been associated with prognosis in several cancers, including head and neck cancer, but in oropharyngeal carcinomas its prognostic value, especially in relation to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, has been little studied. This meta-analysis, including studies on the prognostic value of NLR in oropharyngeal carcinoma, shows that an elevated pretreatment NLR is associated with a worse prognosis in oropharyngeal cancer, regardless of the type of treatment performed, but this prognostic value appears to be specific to HPV-positive oropharyngeal carcinomas. NLR could be used as an affordable prognostic marker in this type of cancer. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been associated with survival in various cancers, including head and neck cancer. However, there is limited information on its role in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC) according to HPV status. This prompted the present meta-analysis. Studies were selected when the prognostic value of NLR prior to treatment was evaluated in OPSCC patients, the cutoff value of NLR was available, and the prognostic value of NLR was evaluated by time-to-event survival analysis. A total of 14 out of 492 articles, including 7647 patients, were analyzed. The results showed a worse prognosis for the patients with a high NLR: The combined hazard ratios (HR) for overall survival (OS) in patients with an elevated NLR was 1.56 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-2.02; p = 0.0006), for disease-free survival was 1.52 (95% CI 1.34-1.73; p < 0.00001), and for recurrence-free survival was 1.86 (95% CI 1.50-2.30; p < 0.00001). This worse prognosis of high NLR was exclusive of HPV-positive patients: HR for OS in the HPV-positive subgroup was 4.05 (95% CI 1.90-8.62 (p = 0.0003), and in the HPV-negative subgroup 0.92 (95% CI 0.47-1.80; p = 0.82). The prognosis of NLR was not influenced by treatment: The HR for OS for patients treated with radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy (RT/CRT) was 1.48 (95% CI 1.09-2.01; p = 0.01), and for patients treated with surgery (±RT/CRT) was 1.72 (95% CI 1.08-2.72; p = 0.02). In conclusion, an elevated NLR relates to worse outcomes in patients with HPV-positive OPSCC.