Title
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts early mortality in females with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer
Date Issued
01 December 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Public Library of Science
Abstract
Background The aim of this study was to determine the utility of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a biomarker for predicting early-mortality (<2 years) among females with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Methods We reviewed 118 medical records of females with mTNBC. The cut-off value for the NLR (<2.5 and ≥2.5) was determined with receiver operating characteristic curves (area under the curve: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.62–0.85). Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the Log-rank test. Multivariate Cox regression was used to identify the risk of mortality at two years. Moreover, we performed sensitivity analyses with different cut-off values and a subgroup analysis in females that only received chemotherapy. Results The median follow-up was 24 months. Females with NLR ≥2.5 had a poor overall survival compared to females with NLR <2.5 (6% vs. 28%, p<0.001) at two years. This outcome remained when we stratified for females that only received chemotherapy (8% vs. 36%, p = 0.001). Multivariate analyses identified NLR ≥2.5 as a poor prognostic risk factor for mortality in the entire population (HR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.32–3.39) and among females that received chemotherapy (HR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.46–4.92). Conclusion The NLR is an accessible and reliable biomarker that predicts early mortality among females with mTNBC. Our results suggest that females with high NLR values have poor prognosis despite receiving standard chemotherapy. Health providers should evaluate the possibility to enroll these patients in novel immunotherapy trials.
Volume
15
Issue
12 December
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Oncología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85097481678
PubMed ID
Source
PLoS ONE
ISSN of the container
19326203
Sponsor(s)
The authors received no specific funding for this work. We thank the personnel of the Medical Oncology Department of the National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases for encouraging us to successfully complete our study. We also thank the Universidad Científica del Sur’s editing services for reviewing our paper.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus