Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio are 2 new inflammatory markers associated with pulmonary involvement and disease activity in patients with dermatomyositis

Objective The neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have recently been introduced as prognostic markers of thyroid cancer and strong inflammatory markers. The study was performed to investigate the association of the PLR and NLR with thyroid inflammation and papillary cancer. Methods Patients with thyroiditis and patients with papillary carcinomas were compared with sex-, age-, and body mass index-matched healthy controls. The NLR and PLR were calculated and compared among the three groups. Results The NLR was significantly higher in patients with thyroiditis and non-significantly higher in patients with papillary cancer than in healthy controls. The PLR was significantly higher in both patients with thyroiditis and papillary cancer than in healthy controls. Like the NLR, the PLR was not different between patients with thyroiditis and papillary cancer. The NLR was significantly and positively associated with the PLR and white blood cell count. Conclusion The PLR and NLR showed similar results in both thyroid inflammation and cancer. It seems difficult to obtain clear results in separating cancer from inflammatory events using these parameters. We suggest using them as supportive parameters of thyroid papillary cancer or inflammation.

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The Combination of Neutrophil–Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet–Lymphocyte Ratio with Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers Improves Prognosis Prediction in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13061210 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1210

Author(s):

Marta Toledano-Fonseca ◽

M. Teresa Cano ◽

Elizabeth Inga ◽

Auxiliadora Gómez-España ◽

Silvia Guil-Luna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liquid Biopsy ◽

Inflammatory Markers ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽

Ras Mutation ◽

Inflammatory Microenvironment ◽

Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio ◽

Lymphocyte Ratio ◽

Platelet Lymphocyte Ratio ◽

Promising Tool

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer with a highly inflammatory microenvironment and liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising tool for the noninvasive analysis of this tumor. In this study, plasma was obtained from 58 metastatic PDAC patients, and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR), circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) concentration, and circulating RAS mutation were determined. We found that NLR was significantly associated with both overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival. Remarkably, NLR was an independent risk factor for poor OS. Moreover, NLR and PLR positively correlated, and combination of both inflammatory markers significantly improved the prognostic stratification of metastatic PDAC patients. NLR also showed a positive correlation with cfDNA levels and RAS mutant allelic fraction (MAF). Besides, we found that neutrophil activation contributed to cfDNA content in the plasma of metastatic PDAC patients. Finally, a multi-parameter prognosis model was designed by combining NLR, PLR, cfDNA levels, RAS mutation, RAS MAF, and CA19-9, which performs as a promising tool to predict the prognosis of metastatic PDAC patients. In conclusion, our study supports the idea that the use of systemic inflammatory markers along with circulating tumor-specific markers may constitute a valuable tool for the clinical management of metastatic PDAC patients.

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