The relationship between NLR/PLR/LMR levels and survival prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The relationship between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) and the dire prognosis of non-small cell lung carcinoma patients who received immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are not known yet. We screened the articles that meet the criteria from the database. The relationship between NLR/PLR/LMR levels and the survival and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with ICIs was analyzed. Summarize hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) to study progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Thirty-four studies involving 3124 patients were enrolled in the final analysis. In short, high pre-treatment NLR was related to poor OS (HR = 2.13, 95% CI:1.74-2.61, P < .001, I2 = 83.3%, P < .001) and PFS (HR = 1.77, 95% CI:1.44-2.17, P < .001, I2 = 79.5%, P < .001). Simultaneously, high pre-treatment PLR was related to poor OS (HR = 1.49, 95% CI:1.17-1.91, P < .001, I2 = 57.6%, P = .003) and PFS (HR = 1.62, 95% CI:1.38-1.89, P < .001, I2 = 47.1%, P = .036). In all subgroup analysis, most subgroups showed that low LMR was related to poor OS (HR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.34-0.59, P < .001) and PFS (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.47-0.77, P < 0.001, I2 = 0.0%, P < .001). High pre-treatment NLR and pre-treatment PLR in non-small cell lung carcinoma patients treated with ICIs are associated with low survival rates. Low pre-treatment and post-treatment LMR are also related to unsatisfactory survival outcomes. However, the significance of post-treatment NLR and post-treatment PLR deserve further prospective research to prove.

Liu N ，Mao J ，Tao P ，Chi H ，Jia W ，Dong C ... -  《-》

Predictive value of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: A meta-analysis.

High neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are associated with poor prognosis in cancer patients treated with Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, whether this relationship exists in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients remains unclear. Thus, this meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the prognostic role of NLR and PLR in NSCLC treated with ICIs. Eligible studies that evaluated the value of pre-treatment or post-treatment NLR/PLR in NSCLC patients received ICIs were obtained by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the relationship between NLR/PLR and overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Subgroup analysis and publication bias were conducted to investigate heterogeneity. 1845 NSCLC patients from 21 studies were included and three ICIs(nivolumab, pembrolizumab, and atezolizumab) were used. Overall, high NLR was associated with poor OS (HR: 2.50, 95% CI:1.79-3.51, P < 0.001) and PFS (HR: 1.77, 95% CI:1.51-2.01, P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses were consistent with the pooled results. Similarly, the pooled results for PLR showed that elevated PLR was related to inferior OS (HR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.51-2.01, P < 0.001) and PFS (HR: 1.57, 95%CI: 1.30-1.90, P < 0.001). However, the subgroup analysis based on test time indicated that there was no significant correlation between post-treatment PLR and survival outcomes. NLR and pre-treatment PLR could serve as prognostic biomarkers in NSCLC patients treated with ICIs. However, the value of post-treatment PLR needs further to be evaluated.

Zhang N ，Jiang J ，Tang S ，Sun G ... -  《-》

Prognostic value of inflammatory markers NLR, PLR, and LMR in gastric cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) represent a groundbreaking approach to cancer therapy. Inflammatory markers such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) have emerged as potential indicators strongly associated with tumor prognosis, albeit their prognostic significance remains contentious. The predictive value of NLR, PLR, LMR in patients with gastric cancer (GC) treated with ICIs has not been fully explored; therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine the potential of inflammatory markers NLR, PLR, and LMR as survival predictors in this population. A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases, with the search cut-off date set as March 2024. Hazard ratios (HR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to assess the prognostic significance of NLR, PLR, and LMR for both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Fifteen cohort studies involving 1336 gastric cancer patients were finally included in this meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that high levels of NLR were associated with poorer OS and PFS in GC patients receiving ICIs, with combined HRs of OS [HR=2.01, 95%CI (1.72,2.34), P<0.01], and PFS PFS[HR=1.59, 95%CI (1.37,1.86), P<0.01], respectively; high levels of PLR were associated with poorer OS and PFS, and the combined HR was OS [HR=1.57, 95%CI (1.25,1.96), P<0.01], PFS [HR=1.52,95%CI (1.20, 1.94), P<0.01], respectively; and there was an association between elevated LMR and prolonged OS and PFS, and the combined HR was OS [HR=0.62, 95%CI (0.47,0.81), P<0.01], and PFS [HR=0.69, 95%CI (0.50,0.95), P<0.01]. In gastric cancer (GC) patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were associated with poorer overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), while high lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) was linked to improved OS and PFS. Subgroup analyses suggested that NLR might be particularly pertinent to the prognosis of GC patients. In conclusion, the inflammatory markers NLR, PLR, and LMR serve as effective biomarkers for prognostic assessment in GC patients, offering valuable insights for therapeutic decision-making in the realm of GC immunotherapy. Prospective studies of high quality are eagerly awaited to validate these findings in the future. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/#myprospero, identifier CRD42024524321.

Tan S ，Zheng Q ，Zhang W ，Zhou M ，Xia C ，Feng W ... -  《Frontiers in Immunology》

Systemic immune-inflammation index, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio can predict clinical outcomes in patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer treated with nivolumab.

Explore markers to predict the clinical outcomes of checkpoint inhibitors have high unmet needs. The following study investigates whether hematologic parameter such as systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is associated with nivolumab efficacy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Advanced/metastatic NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab monotherapy for second-line or further-line treatment at Jilin Cancer Hospital between March 2016 and July 2018 were enrolled in this retrospective study. The optimal cutoff values of SII, NLR, and PLR for predicting efficacy and prognosis were determined according to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the areas under the ROC curve. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated and compared using Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Prognostic values of each variable were evaluated with univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression (PHR) analyses. A total of 44 patients with advanced NSCLC were included; the median age was 60 (range: 43-74). The optimal cutoff value of SII/NLR/PLR predicted PFS and OS was 603.5, 3.07, and 144. Low SII, NLR, and PLR were associated with longer PFS (HR for SII = 0.34, 95%CI 0.15-0.76, P = 0.006; HR for NLR = 0.46, 95%CI 0.22-0.99, P = 0.048; HR for PLR = 0.39, 95%CI 0.17-0.94, P = 0.025) and OS (HR for SII = 0.16, 95%CI 0.05-0.51, P = 0.005; HR for NLR = 0.20, 95%CI 0.06-0.62, P = 0.002; HR for PLR = 0.20, 95%CI 0.06-0.73, P = 0.008). NLR ≤ 3.07, PLR ≤ 144, SII ≤ 603.5 were independently associated with longer PFS and OS. The SII, NLR, and PLR are promising prognostic predictor for patients with metastatic NSCLC patients.

Liu J ，Li S ，Zhang S ，Liu Y ，Ma L ，Zhu J ，Xin Y ，Wang Y ，Yang C ，Cheng Y ... -  《-》

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte ratio (PLR) as prognostic markers in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with nivolumab.

Immunotherapy with the programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) antibody nivolumab has changed the field of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. Nivolumab shows better outcome compared to standard second line chemotherapy, but reliable prognostic markers are lacking. High neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are markers of host inflammation and associated with worse overall survival (OS) in several tumor types, but have not been analysed extensively in lung cancer in the era of immunotherapy. Patients with metastatic NSCLC treated with nivolumab were enrolled. Pre-treatment NLR and PLR were calculated by division of neutrophils and platelets by lymphocytes measured in peripheral blood. Cox regression analyses were conducted to study the prognostic role of NLR and PLR on OS and progression free survival (PFS). Logistic regression was used to study the association of NLR and PLR. The combined impact of NLR and other known prognostic factors was explored with multivariable regression. Fifty-two patients were included. Elevated NLR was associated with worse OS (HR for log(NLR)=3.64, 95% CI 1.78-7.46, p<0.001) and lower response rates (OR for log(NLR)=0.17, 95% CI 0.04-0.68, p=0.013). There was no significant association with PFS (HR for log(NLR)=1.46, 95% CI=0.91-2.34, p=0.114). The AUC for the prediction of 10-month survival using log(NLR) was 0.738, the AUC for the prediction of response to nivolumab was 0.776. Relationships with PLR were similar. NLR and PLR didn't correlate with other known prognostic factors (i.e histology, tobacco use, ECOG performance status,) in our cohort. Inclusion of NLR in multivariable models with these other factors significantly improved the prediction of OS. Elevated pre-treatment NLR and PLR are associated with shorter OS and PFS and with lower response rates in patients with metastatic NSCLC treated with nivolumab independently of other prognostic factors.

Diem S ，Schmid S ，Krapf M ，Flatz L ，Born D ，Jochum W ，Templeton AJ ，Früh M ... -  《-》