Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratios correlate with staging in patients with colorectal carcinoma

Background: Systemic inflammation status is revealed to be associated with prognosis of solid tumours. Inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein, Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio have been claimed to provide insight into resectability of carcinoma and in predicting prognosis. The objective of this study was to study neutrophil lymphocyte ratio and platelet lymphocyte ratio profiles in patients with colo-rectal cancers.Methods: This study was done as a hospital based descriptive on 80 patients diagnosed with colonic and rectal cancers. The study was carried out from May 2017 to May 2018 at General Surgery and Radiotherapy departments at Government Medical College, Trivandrum. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio and platelet lymphocyte ratio was calculated and correlated with the pre-operative staging, post-operative staging and the histopathological grade.Results: Both neutrophil lymphocyte ratio and platelet lymphocyte ratio were found to be higher in patients with colo-rectal cancers as compared to values in normal healthy population. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio was well correlated with tumour status, nodal status and overall stage in pathological staging. Platelet lymphocyte ratio was well correlated with tumour status and overall stage in CT staging and with tumour status, nodal status and overall stage in pathological staging.Conclusions: Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio and platelet lymphocyte ratio are correlated with colo-rectal carcinomas and may provide valuable information in staging the patients. They are cost-effective, easily measurable but affected by race, sex, age, co-morbidities and many other potential factors. Routine estimation of these ratios can serve as adjunct to staging as well as help to prognosticate the patients.