Prognostic significance of pre‑treatment neutrophil‑to‑lymphocyte and platelet‑to‑lymphocyte ratios in non‑surgically treated uterine cervical carcinoma

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic significance of the pre‑treatment neutrophil‑to‑lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the platelet‑to‑lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and other clinicopathological characteristics in patients with non‑surgically treated uterine cervical carcinoma. The correlations of clinicopathological characteristics with overall and progression‑free survival were determined in 98 Japanese patients who received non‑surgical treatment for uterine cervical carcinoma between January 1997 and July 2013. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan‑Meier method and potential prognostic indicators were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model. A total of 68 patients (69.4%) had a high pre‑treatment NLR (≥3.5) and 34 patients (34.7%) had a high pre‑treatment PLR (≥212). Both NLR and PLR were found to be positively correlated with pre‑treatment platelet counts. Multivariate analysis identified NLR and carcinoembryonic antigen level, but not PLR, as independent predictors of overall and progression‑free survival. In conclusion, the present study identified two prognostic indicators for uterine cervical carcinoma, both of which can be easily and cost‑effectively monitored via blood testing.