The Value of Preoperative Blood Neutrophil-Lymphocyte, White Blood Cell-Lymphocyte, Monocyte-Lymphocyte, and Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratios in Predicting the Malignant Potential of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor: A Retrospective Study
Abstract Background: To investigate the predictive value of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), white blood cell-lymphocyte ratio (WLR), monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in grading the malignant potential of the gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST).Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 843 GIST patients who underwent surgery during hospitalisation from June 2016 to July 2020 and 374 unrelated healthy controls. Demographic data were collected for each participant, including age, gender, body mass index, laboratory test results, and pathological results. We compared the NLR, WLR, MLR, and PLR between GIST and healthy individuals, as well as among patients with different risk grades of GIST.Results: NLR, WLR, MLR, and PLR values of patients with GIST were significantly increased compared with those of the control group (P<0.05). These values also showed statistically significant differences among the four risk degree groups. The NLR, WLR, MLR, and PLR values of the high-risk group were significantly higher than those of the very low-risk group, low-risk group, and intermediate-risk group (p<0.001). The NLR, WLR, MLR, and PLR showed a high predictive value in the high-risk group, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.802, 0.824, 0.866, and 0.814, and a cut-off value of 2.059, 3.347, 0.221, and 141.4, respectively.Conclusion: Preoperative NLR, WLR, MLR, and PLR have a high predictive value for grading the malignant potential of GIST, especially in the high-risk group. These values provide a convenient and inexpensive way to determine preoperative chemotherapy and surgical strategies.