Lymphocyte percentage as a valuable predictor of prognosis in lung cancer

Impact of Chemotherapy on Circulating Lymphocyte Subsets in Lung Cancer Patients

Purpose

Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related death and chemotherapy stands as a fundamental component in therapy. Chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression encompasses a spectrum of hematological declines, including not only neutrophils but also lymphocytes, hemoglobin levels and platelets. This retrospective cohort study investigates alterations in peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets. By uncovering these changes, our goal is to refine patient management strategies, ensuring that the benefits of chemotherapy are maximized while minimizing its detrimental effects.

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 159 lung cancer patients. Patients were categorized as "NT" (n=108, no previous anti-tumor therapy), and "PT" (n=51, prior therapy followed by at least a two-month treatment-free interval). Post-chemotherapy, patients were reassessed and grouped into "EarlyCycle" for those who underwent four or fewer cycles, and "LateCycle" for those who underwent more than four cycles.

Results

The study focused on analyzing the percentages of lymphocyte subsets, including T cells (CD4+, CD8+), B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells, across these groups. For T cells, the EarlyCycle group exhibited a significant increase compared to NT (0.7783 vs 0.7271; p=0.0017) and PT (0.7783 vs 0.6804; p=1.6e-05). B cells showed a significant decrease from NT to LateCycle (0.1014 vs 0.0817; p=2.2e-05) and from PT to LateCycle (0.1317 vs 0.0817; p=6.2e-10). NK cells significantly decreased in the EarlyCycle group compared to NT (0.1109 vs 0.1462; p=0.00816) and PT (0.1109 vs 0.1513; p=0.00992), with no significant change in the LateCycle group compared to either NT or PT (p>0.05).

Conclusion

Chemotherapy significantly affects lymphocyte subsets in a treatment-specific manner. The EarlyCycle group experienced a reduction in NK cell and an increase in T cell, suggesting a damage of innate immunity and an early shift towards adaptive immunity. The LateCycle group showed a substantial decrease in B cell, indicating a delayed effect on humoral immunity components.

Influence of Biomarkers on Mortality among Patients with Hepatic Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer Treated with FOLFOX/CAPOX and FOLFIRI/CAPIRI, Including Anti-EGFR and Anti-VEGF Therapies

Background and objectives: Colorectal cancer is a major global health concern, with a significant increase in morbidity and mortality rates associated with metastatic stages. This study investigates the prognostic significance of various clinical and laboratory parameters in patients with metastatic CRC. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort of 188 CRC patients with hepatic metastasis from the OncoHelp Association in Timisoara was analyzed from January 2016 to March 2023. Data on demographics, clinical characteristics, and biomarkers, such as lymphocyte counts, as well as various inflammation indices, were examined. Statistical analyses included univariate and multivariate logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and ROC curve assessments. Results: Our findings indicate significant associations between survival outcomes and several biomarkers. Higher BMI and lymphocyte counts were linked with better survival rates, while higher values of Neutrophil-Hemoglobin-Lymphocyte (NHL) score, Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), and Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII) were predictors of poorer outcomes. Notably, the presence of hepatic metastasis at diagnosis was a critical factor, significantly reducing overall survival. Conclusions: The study has expanded the current understanding of prognostic factors in CRC, advocating for a multi-dimensional approach to prognostic evaluations. This approach should consider not only the traditional metrics such as tumor stage and histological grading but also incorporate a broader spectrum of biomarkers. Future studies should aim to validate these findings and explore the integration of these biomarkers into routine clinical practice, enhancing the precision of prognostic assessments and ultimately guiding more personalized treatment strategies for CRC patients.

Prognostic significance of systemic immune inflammatory index in NSCLC: a meta-analysis

Aim: The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the relationship between the baseline systemic immune inflammatory index (SII) and prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Materials & methods: The relation between pretreatment SII and overall survival, disease-free survival, cancer-specific survival, progression-free survival and recurrence-free survival in NSCLC patients was analyzed combined with hazard ratio and 95% CI. Results: The results showed that high SII was significantly correlated with overall survival and progression-free survival of NSCLC patients, but not with disease-free survival, cancer-specific survival and recurrence-free survival. Conclusion: The study suggests that a higher SII has association with worse prognosis in NSCLC patients. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022336270.

Prognostic value of pretreatment lymphocyte percentage in oral cancer: A prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prognostic role of pretreatment lymphocyte percentage (LY%) for patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

METHODS

A large-scale prospective cohort study between July 2002 and March 2021 was conducted. Propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis were performed to adjust for potential confounders. Using random survival forest (RSF), the relative importance of pretreatment LY% in prognosis prediction was also assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 743 patients were enrolled and followed up (median: 2.75 years, interquartile range: 1.25-4.42 years). A high pretreatment LY% was significantly associated with better disease-specific survival of patients with OSCC (Hazard ratio [HR] = 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.42, 0.84). The same tendency was observed in PSM (HR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.85) and IPTW analysis (HR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.82). RSF showed that LY% ranked the fifth among importance ranking of all prognostic factors.

CONCLUSION

Pretreatment LY% showed a moderate predictive ability, suggesting it might be a valuable tool to predict prognosis for patients with OSCC.

Prognostic Factors and Construction of Nomogram Prediction Model of Lung Cancer Patients Using Clinical and Blood Laboratory Parameters

Objective

This work aimed to explore the prognostic risk factors of lung cancer (LC) patients and establish a line chart prediction model.

Methods

A total of 322 LC patients were taken as the study subjects. They were randomly divided into a training set (n = 202) and a validation set (n = 120). Basic information and laboratory indicators were collected, and the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were followed up. Single-factor and cyclooxygenase (COX) multivariate analyses were performed on the training set to construct a Nomogram prediction model, which was validated with 120 patients in the validation set, and Harrell's consistency was analyzed.

Results

Single-factor analysis revealed significant differences in PFS (P<0.05) between genders, body mass index (BMI), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 125 (CA125), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA), treatment methods, treatment response evaluation, smoking status, presence of pericardial effusion, and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) at 0 and 1-50%. Significant differences in OS (P<0.05) were observed for age, tumor location, treatment methods, White blood cells (WBC), uric acid (UA), CA125, pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP), SCCA, cytokeratin fragment 21 (CYFRA21), and smoking status. COX analysis identified male gender, progressive disease (PD) as treatment response, and SCCA > 1.6 as risk factors for LC PFS. The consistency indices of the line chart models for predicting PFS and OS were 0.782 and 0.772, respectively.

Conclusion

Male gender, treatment response of PD, and SCCA > 1.6 are independent risk factors affecting the survival of LC patients. The PFS line chart model demonstrates good concordance.

Tumor growth inhibition modeling in patients with second line biliary tract cancer and first line non-small cell lung cancer based on bintrafusp alfa trials

This analysis aimed to quantify tumor dynamics in patients receiving either bintrafusp alfa (BA) or pembrolizumab, by population pharmacokinetic (PK)-pharmacodynamic modeling, and investigate clinical and molecular covariates describing the variability in tumor dynamics by pharmacometric and machine-learning (ML) approaches. Data originated from two clinical trials in patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC; NCT03833661) receiving BA and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC; NCT03631706) receiving BA or pembrolizumab. Individual drug exposure was estimated from previously developed population PK models. Population tumor dynamics models were developed for each drug-indication combination, and covariate evaluations performed using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling (NLME) and ML (elastic net and random forest models) approaches. The three tumor dynamics' model structures all included linear tumor growth components and exponential tumor shrinkage. The final BTC model included the effect of drug exposure (area under the curve) and several covariates (demographics, disease-related, and genetic mutations). Drug exposure was not significant in either of the NSCLC models, which included two, disease-related, covariates in the BA arm, and none in the pembrolizumab arm. The covariates identified by univariable NLME and ML highly overlapped in BTC but showed less agreement in NSCLC analyses. Hyperprogression could be identified by higher tumor growth and lower tumor kill rates and could not be related to BA exposure. Tumor size over time was quantitatively characterized in two tumor types and under two treatments. Factors potentially related to tumor dynamics were assessed using NLME and ML approaches; however, their net impact on tumor size was considered as not clinically relevant.

Gene Expressions and High Lymphocyte Count May Predict Durable Clinical Benefits in Patients with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

BACKGROUND

Not all patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Therefore, we aimed to assess the predictive potential of gene expression profiling (GEP), peripheral immune cell counts, and clinical characteristics.

METHODS

The primary endpoint of this prospective, observational study was a durable clinical benefit (DCB) defined as progression-free survival >6 months. In a subgroup with histological biopsies of sufficient quality (n = 25), GEP was performed using the nCounter® PanCancer IO 360 panel.

RESULTS

DCB was observed in 49% of 123 included patients. High absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and absence of liver metastases were associated with DCB (OR = 1.95, p = 0.038 and OR = 0.36, p = 0.046, respectively). GEP showed clustering of differentially expressed genes according to DCB, and a strong association between PD-L1 assessed by GEP (CD274) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was observed (p = 0.00013). The TGF-β, dendritic cell, and myeloid signature scores were higher for patients without DCB, whereas the JAK/STAT loss signature scores were higher for patients with DCB (unadjusted p-values < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

ALC above 1.01 × 109/L and absence of liver metastases were significantly associated with DCB in ICI-treated patients with NSCLC. GEP was only feasible in 20% of the patients. GEP-derived signatures may be associated with clinical outcomes, and PD-L1 could be assessed by GEP rather than IHC.

The Association between Diabetes Mellitus, High Monocyte/Lymphocyte Ratio, and Survival in Endometrial Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study

This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the factors related to endometrial cancer (EC) prognosis and survival in eastern Taiwan. The study involved 48 patients diagnosed with EC who underwent hysterectomy-based surgery at Hualien Tzu Chi hospital between January 2011 and June 2021. The patients’ medical history and laboratory examination results were reviewed. Progression-free survival and overall survival were determined. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square test, and continuous variables were analyzed using the independent t-test. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to predict diagnostic value. Factors associated with cancer mortality were identified via Cox regression analysis (p < 0.05). Patients were divided into the death (n = 7) and survival (n = 41) groups. The median age of the patients was 56 years (range: 31−71 years). The median observation period was 33.29 months. Diabetes mellitus (DM) and monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) > 0.23886 were significantly associated with cancer mortality (p = 0.024 and p = 0.028, respectively). MLR-low and MLR-high groups exhibited 5-year overall survival rates of 96% and 60%, respectively, and 5-year progression-free survival rates of 96% and 41%, respectively. DM and MLR of >0.2386 were suggested to be associated with cancer death, poor overall survival, and progression-free survival.

Clinical Significance of Preoperative Naples Prognostic Score in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background: Naples Prognostic Score (NPS) is a novel score based on inflammatory-nutritional indicators. We aimed to analyze the prognostic value of the Naples Prognostic Score in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients following surgery. Methods: A total of 319 NSCLCpatients following surgery were analyzed in the retrospective cohort study. We analyzed the predictive value of Naples Prognostic Score for overall survival and recurrence-free survival in postoperative non-small cell lung cancer patients by using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariate Cox regression analysis. At the same time, the time-dependent ROC and the area under curves were also created to compare the accuracy of different scoring systems. Results: According to NPS, we divided all patients into 3 groups，120 patients were divided into group 0, 161 patients were divided into group 1, and 38 patients were divided into group 2. The median survival time for all patients is 32 months, and the median survival times for different groups were 35 months, 31 months, and 28 months, respectively. The overall survival and recurrence-free survival survival curves of different groups were significantly different (both P < .05), and patients in the higher NPS groups had a disappointing prognosis. NPS may be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival and recurrence-free survival, according to the results of multivariate analysis (both P < .05). The area under curve showed that the accuracy of the NPS was significantly better than other score systems. Conclusions: The NPS is closely related to the long-term survival prognosis of patients with NSCLC, especially in stage III patients.

The clinical relevance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with lung cancer

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) coexisting with lung cancer is associated with severe mortality and a worse prognosis. Inflammation plays an important role in common pathogenic pathways and disease progression. However, a few studies have identified the clinical value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in COPD with lung cancer, which are systemic inflammatory response markers in the blood. This study aimed to determine the association of the NLR or PLR with clinical characteristics and whether NLR or PLR can be diagnostic markers for COPD with lung cancer.

Methods

Between 2015 and 2021, we conducted a retrospective analysis of 236 COPD patients with lung cancer and 500 patients without lung cancer (control group). Clinical information, blood routine examination, and spirometry results were collected and analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to identify the best cutoff point of NLR or PLR. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association of NLR or PLR with the diagnosis and prognosis of COPD with lung cancer.

Results

Compared to patients in the COPD-only group, patients in the lung cancer group had a higher percentage of current smoking and emphysema, and it was found that NLR or PLR was significantly higher in the lung cancer group. Multivariate analysis showed that age, smoking status, FEV1%pred, emphysema, NLR, and PLR were independent risk factors for lung cancer development in COPD. Furthermore, the high level of NLR or PLR was associated with age over 70 years old, current smoking status, and ineligible surgery treatment. The level of PLR or NLR markedly increased with hypercoagulation status, the severity of airflow limitation, and advanced progression of lung cancer. Additionally, the ROC analysis also revealed that elevated NLR or PLR was an independent predictor of COPD in lung cancer patients, TNM stages IIIB–IV at first diagnosis in lung cancer, and ineligible surgery in lung cancer patients.

Conclusion

Increased NLR or PLR values might be an important and easily measurable inflammation biomarker to predict the diagnosis and severity of lung cancer with COPD.

Development and validation of a nomogram for evaluating the prognosis of immunotherapy plus antiangiogenic therapy in non-small cell lung cancer

Background

With the combination therapy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody and antiangiogenic drugs used widely in clinic, a novel method to estimate the prognosis of patients is needed. We aimed to develop a nomogram to examine prognosis of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody plus bevacizumab in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods

We developed a nomogram using the cohort involving 204 NSCLC patients who treated with immunotherapy and anti-angiogenesis therapy. The nomogram was validated under the same conditions in another cohort with 69 patients. Prognostic factors were analyzed by Cox regression analysis. The nomogram was internally validated using bootstrap resampling and then externally validated. Performance was assessed using concordance index, calibration curve and decision curve analysis. Clinical utility was evaluated using receiver operation characteristic curve.

Results

Pleural metastasis (P = 0.001, HR = 2.980, 95%CI 1.521–5.837), ANC (P < 0.001, HR = 5.139, 95%CI 2.081–12.691), ALC (P = 0.010, HR = 0.331, 95%CI 0.142–0.771), B cells (P = 0.005, HR = 0.329, 95%CI 0.151–0.714), Treg cells (P = 0.002, HR = 2.934, 95%CI 1.478–5.826) were independent prognostic factors. The calibration curves showed good consistency and the C-index of nomogram were 0.808, 0.741 in training and external validation cohort, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) in receiver operation characteristic curves (ROC) are 0.833 (P < 0.001) and 0.908 (P < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusion

We build an accurate and convenient nomogram to predict long-time overall survival (OS) of NSCLC patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 antibody and antiangiogenic drugs and validated this nomogram. The nomogram might be helpful to clinicians to estimate long-time OS of NSCLC patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 antibody and antiangiogenic drugs.