The Prognostic Impact of the Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio in Resected Pancreatic Head Adenocarcinoma

Pathological correlation between eosinophils and thyroid nodules based on medical image testing

Thyroid nodule is a common thyroid disease, but the study of its pathology and pathogenesis is still limited. As a non-invasive diagnostic method, medical image examination is of great value to study the pathological correlation of thyroid nodules. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of eosinophils in medical image examination and the pathological correlation between eosinophils and thyroid nodules. The study analyzed the pathological reports of a group of patients with thyroid nodules examined by medical images and performed corresponding imaging scans or examinations. The imaging data is processed, including image reconstruction, data transmission and other steps, to generate images that can be diagnosed by doctors. Thyroid function and parameters of leukocyte were collected and compared.The serum levels of TT4 and fT4 were observed lower in G2 group, while thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was higher compared to G1 group before surgery. Compared to G2 group, eosinophils count and percentage were lower in G1group (p < 0.05) post-surgery and lower ratio of eosinophils count with lymphocyte count (ELR) were observed in G1 group patients (p < 0.05).Elevated TSH is closely related to malignant TN per surgery, while lower ELR suggesting that TN removed thoroughly. Relevant cut-off values required further study to guide the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of TN.

Combination of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and serum CA 19-9 as a prognostic factor in pancreatic cancer

Background

Traditionally, serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) has been used as a key biomarker for pancreatic cancer and recently other biomarkers which reflect the systemic immune and inflammatory responses also have been explored as potential prognostic factors. The study aims to evaluate the significance of pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and serum CA 19-9 as prognostic factor in pancreatic cancer patients.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted in 153 consecutive patients with pancreatic cancer in Instituto Nacional de Cancerología from 2013 to 2018. Pretreatment NLR and serum CA 19-9 values were recorded as well as survivals.

Results

The cut-off value determined for NLR was 2.4 and for serum CA 19-9 was 553 U/mL. Survival analysis showed that the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 9% in patients with low-NLR compared with 2% for patients with high-NLR (P=0.008), and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.7% in patients with low-NLR compared with 1.3% in patients with high-NLR (P=0.007). For patients with low-CA 19.9, 5-year OS was 8.5% compared with 0% for patients with high-CA 19-9 (P=0.002), and 5-year PFS was 4.1% in patients with low-CA 19-9 compared with 0% in patients with high-CA 19-9 (P=0.005). Classification groups created showed that 5-year OS in Group 1 (low-NLR and low-CA 19-9) was 11.8% compared with 1.9% for patients in Group 2 (either one or both high-NLR or CA 19-9) (P<0.001), and 5-year PFS was 8.6% in Group 1 and 0% in Group 2 (P=0.001).

Conclusions

High-NLR and high-CA 19-9 values used separately are both independently associated with worse OS and PFS in patients with pancreatic cancer. The classification groups created combining both biomarkers showed better prognostic significance than when used separately as demonstrated by survival analysis and multivariate analysis.

The prognostic role of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) can serve as an indicator for predicting the prognosis of patients with resectable pancreatic cancer.

Patients and Methods

This meta-analysis was registered with PROSPERO: CRD42023461260. A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases up to September 2023 to assess whether LMR can predict the prognosis of patients with resectable pancreatic cancer. The outcomes measured included subgroup analyses of overall survival (OS) with hazard ratios (HR) and confidence intervals of geographical region, patient population, and LMR threshold. A sensitivity analysis was also performed for OS and HR and confidence intervals were calculated for recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Results

A total of 14 eligible articles, comprising 4,019 patients, were included in the comprehensive analysis. The results of this comprehensive analysis indicate that LMR is a robust predictor of OS, demonstrating strong prognostic significance (HR = 0.55, 95% CI [0.44-0.69], I2 = 79%, P < 0.00001). This predictive significance extended to various types of pancreatic cancer, such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (HR = 0.73, 95% CI [0.57-0.93], I2 = 46%, P = 0.01), pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (HR = 0.81, 95% CI [0.66-0.99], P = 0.04) and other subtypes (HR = 0.40, 95% CI [0.22-0.72], I2 = 89%, P < 0.00001), but not to pancreatic head cancer (HR = 0.46, 95% CI [0.16-1.13], I2 = 59%, P = 0.12). LMR retained its predictive value across different regions, including Asia (HR = 0.62, 95% CI [0.47-0.76], I2 = 68%, P < 0.0001), Europe (HR = 0.78, 95% CI [0.67-0.91], I2 = 0%, P = 0.002), and the Americas (HR = 0.14, 95% CI [0.08-0.24], I2 = 0%, P < 0.00001). Notably, both LMR cut-off values greater than or equal to three (HR = 0.62, 95% CI [0.47-0.82], I2 = 67%, P = 0.0009) and less than three (HR = 0.47, 95% CI [0.32-0.69], I2 = 85%, P = 0.0001) exhibited prognostic significance. The sensitivity analysis for OS confirmed the strong predictive value of LMR, whereas LMR did not exhibit predictive significance for RFS (HR = 0.35, 95% CI [0.09-1.32], I2 = 95%, P = 0.12). In both subgroups categorized by Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) scores of ≥7 (HR = 0.66, 95% CI [0.54-0.80], I2 = 53%, P = 0.04) and <7 (HR = 0.41, CI [0.23-0.72], I2 = 89%, P < 0.00001), LMR was demonstrated to have predictive value.

Conclusion

Despite the observed heterogeneity and potential biases in the included studies, the findings of this study suggest that LMR may serve as a valuable predictor of OS in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer.

A Novel Score Using Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio in Blood and Malignant Body Fluid for Predicting Prognosis of Patients with Advanced Ovarian Cancer

(1) Background: The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), one of the systemic inflammatory markers, has been shown to be associated with prognosis of various solid tumors. However, no study has reported clinical utility of the LMR of malignant body fluid (mLMR) (2) Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of the final 92 patients of a total of 197 patients with advanced ovarian cancer newly diagnosed from November 2015 and December 2021 using our institute big data. (3) Results: Patients were divided into three groups according to their combined bLMR and mLMR scores (bmLMR score): 2, both bLMR and mLMR were elevated; 1, bLMR or mLMR was elevated; and 0, neither bLMR nor mLMR was elevated. A multivariable analysis confirmed that the histologic grade (p = 0.001), status of residual disease (p < 0.001), and bmLMR score (p < 0.001) were independent predictors of disease progression. A low combined value of bLMR and mLMR was strongly associated with a poor prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer. (4) Conclusions: Although further studies are required to apply our results clinically, this is the first study to validate the clinical value of mLMR for predicting prognosis of patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

Prognostic role of the prognostic nutritional index in patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent curative resection without preoperative neoadjuvant treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

The prognostic nutrition index (PNI), which has been evaluated in various kinds of cancers, offered a simple yet effective approach to predict the prognosis. The aim of this meta-analysis is to reveal the correlation between preoperative PNI and the prognosis of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who underwent curative resection.

Methods

We searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases, and extracted the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidential interval (CI) from eligible studies. The pooled HR with 95% CI was applied to evaluate the association between PNI and overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Results

A total of fourteen studies with 3,385 patients were included for meta-analysis. The results (the pooled HR: 1.664, 95% CI: 1.424–1.994, I² = 42.6%, p value = 0.046) indicated that low preoperative PNI was closely related to poor OS. In addition, the results suggested that PNI was negatively correlated with RFS (the pooled HR: 1.369, 95%CI: 1.080–1.734). The robustness of these pooled results was verified by our subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis. Moreover, different cutoff values among studies are responsible for the heterogeneity of pooled HR of OS through meta-regression analysis (p value = 0.042). Funnel plots, Begg's test (p value = 0.228) and Egger’s test (p value = 0.702) indicated no significant publication bias in OS.

Conclusion

Preoperative PNI might be a promising marker to predict the prognosis of PDAC patients who underwent curative resection.

Does Preoperative Serum Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), and Lymphocyte to Monocyte Ratio (LMR) Predict Prognosis Following Radical Surgery for Pancreatic Adenocarcinomas? Results of a Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND

Pretherapy serum neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) have been shown to predict prognosis in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the published literature is conflicting; hence, we aimed to evaluate their role in predicting survival outcomes in operated patients of PDAC.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed in all operated cases of PDAC who underwent curative resection between 2011 and 2018. The pretherapy NLR, PLR, and LMR were calculated and analyzed with respect to pathological and survival outcomes RESULTS: One hundred thirty-four operated patients were included. The median overall survival for NLR of less than 2, 2.7, and 5 was 30.8, 27.2, and 27.5 months and for NLR of more than 2, 2.7, and 5 was 22.9, 21.6, and 21.5 months, respectively, and was statistically insignificant (p-value-0.32, 0.91, 0.34, respectively). Similarly, the PLR was not significant for a cutoff of 150 (p-value-0.27), and LMR was not significant for a cutoff of 2.8 (p-value-0.13) and 4.8 (p-value-0.11). On univariate analysis age, CA 19-9 levels, perineural invasion, margin positivity, lymph node positivity, and TNM stage were found to have a significant correlation with overall survival. However, on multivariate analysis, only TNM stage was found to be significant.

CONCLUSION

The NLR, PLR, and LMR do not correlate with overall survival in operated patients with PDAC in this study. A combination of inflammatory markers or their dynamic testing might probably achieve prognostic significance.

A High C-Reactive Protein Level on Postoperative Day 7 Is Associated With Poor Survival of Patients With Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma After Resection

INTRODUCTION

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a common malignancy. While inflammation-related biomarkers influence patient survival after resection, it has not been known whether postoperative inflammations affect the survival of PDAC patients or not.

METHODS

It was investigated whether the universal biomarkers on postoperative day (POD) 7 affect the survival of PDAC patients in the retrospective view, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed via the Cox regression method.

RESULTS

Overall, 108 consecutive patients underwent resection; 98 (90.7%) had T3 disease and 73 (67.6%) had lymph node metastases. Thirty-four patients (31.5%) experienced postoperative complications. Compared with preoperative values, the white blood cell count and C-reactive protein (CRP) level on POD 7 were significantly elevated (P < .001 for both); conversely, the lymphocyte count was significantly reduced (P < .001). Among 108 patients, 72 received adjuvant chemotherapy. The median overall survival was 21.0 months; the 5-year survival rate was 22.3%. On multivariate analysis, receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and low CRP levels on POD 7 (<7.6 mg/dL) were prognosticators of better survival. However, the CD classification was not a prognosticator of survival after resection.

CONCLUSIONS

Adjuvant chemotherapy and postoperative low CRP levels on POD 7 were prognosticators of better survival of PDAC patients after resection. Surgeons should be aware of managing postoperative infections because a high postoperative CRP level is related with unfavorable survival.

Prognostic Significance of PNI in Patients With Pancreatic Head Cancer Undergoing Laparoscopic Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Background

Recently, several prognosis indicators based on inflammatory and nutritional factors, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), plated-to-lymphocyte (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte (LMR) and prognosis nutritional index (PNI), have been proposed as prognosis factors for several cancers. However, few studies have looked into PNI. The goal of this research was to see if preoperative PNI had any predictive value in patients with pancreatic head cancer who were having a laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Methods

From February 11, 2018 to May 31, 2019, two hundred and fifty-one pancreatic head carcinoma patients were retrospectively enrolled. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the cut-off value. Patients were divided into two groups: PNI > 45.1 (high PNI group) and PNI < 45.1 (low PNI group), and clinic-pathological data was compared between the two groups. The link between PNI and NLR, PLR, and LMR, and their effect on overall survival. In addition, the factors of postoperative survival were analyzed univariate and multivariate.

Results

PNI, NLR, PLR and LMR cut-off values were 45.1, 3.7,287.2 and 3.6, respectively. Between the two groups of patients, the low PNI group exhibited considerably higher PLR and lower LMR. PNI had a negative correlation with PLR and NLR (r = −0.329, p < 0.001 and r = 0.170, p = 0.014), but a positive correlation with LMR (r = 0.476, p < 0.001). The high PNI group had a considerably greater survival rate than the low PNI group (median survival days, 217 vs. 468, log-rank = 45.92, p < 0.001). PNI < 45.1(HR: 0.357, 95 percent CI, 0.263–0.485, p < 0.001) and LMR <3.6(HR: 0.705, 95 percent CI, 0.528–0.942, p < 0.018) were revealed to be possible predictive variable in univariate analysis. Only PNI <45.1 was found to be an independent predictive factor in multivariate analysis (HR: 0.359, 95%CI,: 0.256–0.502, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Our findings shoe that PNI is linked to a variety of systemic inflammatory response and can be used to predict survival in individuals with pancreatic head cancer.

Associations between Nutritional and Immune Status and Clinicopathologic Factors in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer: A Comprehensive Analysis

The aim of this study was to assess and analyze the nutritional status (NS) and immune status of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients. The retrospective analysis included 80 PC patients undergoing curative pancreatic resection in the Department of Digestive Tract Surgery of the Medical University (Katowice, Poland). Patients were divided by the tumor location (proximal vs. distal), age (≤65 years vs. >65 years), Nutritional Risk Score 2002 (NRS 2002) (<3 vs. ≥3), prognostic nutritional index (PNI) (<45 vs. ≥45), and the presence of postoperative complications (no-complication vs. complication) as well as the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (no neoadjuvant chemotherapy vs. neoadjuvant chemotherapy) into two subgroups, which were compared. Significantly higher weight loss was related to the proximal tumor location (p = 0.0104). Significantly lower serum total protein (p = 0.0447), albumin (p = 0.0468), hemoglobin (p = 0.0265) levels, and PNI (p = 0.03) were reported in older patients. The higher nutritional risk according to NRS 2002 was significantly associated with higher age (p = 0.0187), higher weight loss (p < 0.01), lower body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.0293), lower total lymphocyte count (p = 0.0292), longer duration of hospitalization (p = 0.020), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p < 0.01), and preoperative biliary drainage (p = 0.0492). The lower PNI was significantly associated with higher weight loss (p = 0.0407), lower serum total protein and albumin concentration, lymphocyte count (p < 0.01) and higher neutrophil/lymphocyte (NLR), monocyte/lymphocyte (MLR), platelet/lymphocyte (PLR) ratios, and duration of hospitalization (p < 0.01). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (OR: 8.62; 95% CI: 1.24-60.04; p = 0.029521) and NRS 2002 ≥ 3 (OR: 2.87; 95% CI: 0.88-9.33; p = 0.048818) predicted postoperative complications. In the multiple linear regression analysis, the higher NRS 2002 score was linked with the longer duration of hospitalization (b = 7.67948; p = 0.043816), and longer duration of postoperative hospitalization was associated with a higher complication rate (b = 0.273183; p = 0.003100). Nutritional impairment correlates with a systemic inflammatory response in PC patients. Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) and malnutrition (NRS 2002 ≥ 3) predict postoperative complications, which are associate with a longer hospital stay. Assessment of nutritional and immune status using basic diagnostic tools and PNI and immune ratio (NLR, MLR, PLR) calculation should be the standard management of PC patients before surgery to improve the postoperative outcome.

Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio combined with CA19-9 for predicting postoperative recurrence of colorectal cancer in patients with diabetes

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the significance of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) combined with carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 for predicting postoperative recurrence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in patients with type II diabetes.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 106 postoperative patients with stage II-III CRC and with type II diabetes. Their clinical indexes such as LMR and CA19-9 were collected, and the patients were followed up for 5 years.

RESULTS

The CA19-9 level was 119.7 U/ml at baseline in the relapsed group, while this was 24.81 U/ml in non-relapsed group (p = 0.001). On the contrary, the LMR level was 5.10 and 2.57 for non-relapsed and relapsed group (p < 0.001), respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival curves stratified by CA19-9 and LMR suggested that patients with lower CA19-9 had higher survival probability (p < 0.001), while patients with high LMR level had higher survival probability (p < 0.001). The multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis with CA19-9 and LMR indicated that although the baseline CA19-9 is significantly associated with increasing risk of disease recurrence, the HR (HR = 1.0, 95% CI 1.00-1.01) was small and close to 1, whereas the high baseline LMR (HR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.32-0.61) was associated with decrease in disease recurrence. Model with continuous CA19-9 and LMR was able to better predict (AUC 73.17%) the disease recurrence.

CONCLUSION

LMR combined with CA19-9 may become a new index for predicting postoperative recurrence of CRC in patients with diabetes.

A presurgical prognostic stratification based on nutritional assessment and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 in pancreatic carcinoma: An approach with nonanatomic biomarkers

BACKGROUND

Nutritional status and tumor markers are important prognostic indicators for surgical decisions in pancreatic carcinoma. This study aimed to stratify the probability of surviving pancreatic carcinoma based on systematically chosen nonanatomic biomarkers.

METHODS

We included 187 consecutive patients that underwent surgical resections for pancreatic carcinoma. We performed multivariable analyses to evaluate prognostic indicators, including 4 blood-test indexes: the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, prognostic nutritional index, and the modified Glasgow prognostic score; and 4 body-composition indexes: the normalized total psoas muscle area, the normalized total elector spine muscle area, the psoas muscle computed tomography value, and the elector spine muscle computed tomography value.

RESULTS

Poor survival was associated with 2 independent risk factors: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio ≥3.0 (hazard ratio, 1.54) and prognostic nutritional index <36 (hazard ratio, 1.60), and with high carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels (≥37 IU/mL). The 2 indexes were not significantly associated with clinicopathological factors, including carbohydrate antigen 19-9. Patients with no risk factors had significantly better survival than those with 1 (P = .007) or 2 risk factors (P = .001), and survival was similar in the latter 2 groups (P = .253). A presurgical nonanatomic scoring system (range, 0-2) was constructed: 0 points for no risk factors, 1 point for 1 or 2 nutritional risk factors, and 1 point for carbohydrate antigen 19-9 ≥37 IU/mL. Survival rate at 3 years decreased with increasing scores (76% for score 0, 42% for score 1, and 21% for score 2; all P < .05).

CONCLUSION

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and prognostic nutritional index were independent prognostic risk factors in pancreatic carcinoma and integrating these indexes with carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels could successfully stratify survival.

The Neutrophil-to-Monocyte Ratio and Platelet-to-White Blood Cell Ratio Represent Novel Prognostic Markers in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

Background

Inflammation plays an important role in the development of tumors. Several serum based-markers and ratios have been investigated for their prognostic value in pancreatic cancer. However, the prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio (NMR) and platelet-to-white blood cell ratio (PWR) for patients with pancreatic cancer has scarcely been investigated.

Methods

From October 2013 to November 2018, a retrospective cohort study was performed on 269 pancreatic cancer patients without treatment. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated, and areas under the curve were compared for the evaluation of the discriminatory ability of inflammation-based prognostic scoring systems. Kaplan-Meier curves and the Cox proportional hazard model were employed to analyze the relationships among NMR, PWR, and overall survival (OS).

Results

The optimal cutoff values of NMR and PWR were 48 and 6, respectively. In univariate analysis, the survival time of NMR > 48 and PWR ≤ 6 was shorter than that of NMR ≤ 48 and PWR > 6 in patients with pancreatic cancer (P < 0.001). In Cox univariate and multivariate analyses, NMR (hazard ratio (HR), 9.095; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.64-22.72; P < 0.001) and PWR (HR, 8.230; 95% CI, 3.32-20.43; P < 0.001) were significantly correlated with OS.

Conclusions

The current study demonstrated that NMR and PWR may serve as novel and promising inflammatory prognostic scores for patients with pancreatic cancer. Elevated NMR (>48) and depressed PWR (<6) were independently associated with poor prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Diagnostic, Predictive and Prognostic Molecular Biomarkers in Pancreatic Cancer: An Overview for Clinicians

Simple Summary

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cancer-related cause of death in the United States and is usually asymptomatic in early stages. There is a scarcity of tests that facilitate early diagnosis or accurately predict the disease progression. To this end, biomarkers have been identified as important tools in the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer. Despite the increasing number of biomarkers described in the literature, most of them have demonstrated moderate sensitivity and/or specificity and are far from being considered as screening tests. More efficient non-invasive biomarkers are needed to facilitate early-stage diagnosis and interventions. Multi-disciplinary collaboration might be required to facilitate the identification of such markers.

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common pancreatic malignancy and is associated with aggressive tumor behavior and poor prognosis. Most patients with PDAC present with an advanced disease stage and treatment-resistant tumors. The lack of noninvasive tests for PDAC diagnosis and survival prediction mandates the identification of novel biomarkers. The early identification of high-risk patients and patients with PDAC is of utmost importance. In addition, the identification of molecules that are associated with tumor biology, aggressiveness, and metastatic potential is crucial to predict survival and to provide patients with personalized treatment regimens. In this review, we summarize the current literature and focus on newer biomarkers, which are continuously added to the armamentarium of PDAC screening, predictive tools, and prognostic tools.

Prognostic value of preoperative glucose to lymphocyte ratio in patients with resected pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory factors and fasting blood glucose were verified to be associated with the prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The goal of this study is to confirm the prognostic role of preoperative blood glucose to lymphocyte ratio for patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

A total of 259 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients were enrolled and randomly divided into training cohort and validation cohort. The training cohort was used to generate an optimal cutoff value and the validation cohort was used to further validate the model.

RESULTS

A total of 259 patients were incorporated in this study and randomly divided into the training cohort (n = 130, 1/2 of 259) and the validation cohort (129, 1/2 of 259). The optimal cutoff value of glucose to lymphocyte ratio was calculated to be 3.47 for overall survival. Cox regression analysis found that preoperative blood glucose to lymphocyte ratio was independent risk factor (p = 0.040) for overall survival. Prognostic values of glucose to lymphocyte ratio on overall survival were observed in younger male patients with pancreatic body and tail cancer, American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th N1 stage, without microvascular and peripancreatic fat invasion, and Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 higher than 200 U/ml. A prognostic prediction model of overall survival was designed and presented in nomogram.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative blood glucose to lymphocyte ratio is an independent biomarker to predict the overall survival for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients who underwent curative resection.

Monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio is associated with the presence and size of thyroid nodule irrespective of the gender

Background

Systemic inflammation may be involved in the formation and progression of thyroid nodule (TN). The aim of this large-scale study was to investigate the association of several simple inflammatory markers with the presence and size of TN.

Methods

A total of 133,698 adults were included for the current analysis. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), and monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) were calculated. The logistic regression was used to explore the association of the four markers with the presence and size of TN.

Results

The prevalence of TN was 55.1% among females and 44% among males; 13% of women and 8% of men had non-micronodule. In women, MHR and PLR were significantly associated with the presence of TN and non-micronodule; in men, MHR and NLR were significantly associated with the presence of TN and non-micronodule.

Conclusions

As a low-cost, simple, and reproducible inflammatory marker, MHR is strongly associated with the presence and size of TN irrespective of the gender.

C-Reactive Protein and Neutrophil/Lymphocytes Ratio: Prognostic Indicator for Doubling overall survival Prediction in Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Background: Despite modern chemotherapy regimens, survival of patients with locally advanced/metastatic pancreatic cancer remains dismal. Long-term survivors are rare and there are no prognostic scores to identify patients benefitting most from chemotherapy. Methods: This retrospective study includes 240 patients with pancreatic cancer who were treated in a primary palliative setting between the years 2007 to 2016 in a single academic institution. Survival rates were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Prognostic models including laboratory and clinical parameters were calculated using Cox proportional models in univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Median age at diagnosis was 67 years (range 29–90 years), 52% were female and a majority had an ECOG performance status of 0 or 1. Locally advanced pancreatic cancer was diagnosed in 23.3% (n = 56) and primary metastatic disease in 76.7% (n = 184) of all patients. Median overall survival of the whole study cohort was 8.3 months. Investigating potential risk factors like patient characteristics, tumor marker or inflammatory markers, multivariate survival analysis found CRP (c-reactive protein) and NLR (neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio) elevation before the start of palliative chemotherapy to be independent negative prognostic factors for OS (overall survival) (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01). Grouping patients with no risk factor versus patients with one or two of the above mentioned two risk factors, we found a median OS of 16.8 months and 9.4 months (p < 0.001) respectively. By combining these two factors, we were also able to identify pancreatic cancer patients that were more likely to receive any post first line therapy. These two risk factors are predictive for improved survival independent of disease stage (III or IV) and applied chemotherapy agents in first line. Conclusion: By combining these two factors, CRP and NLR, to create a score for OS, we propose a simple, new prognostic tool for OS prediction in pancreatic cancer.