Combined Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte and Platelet-Volume-to-Platelet Ratio (NLR and PVPR Score) Represents a Novel Prognostic Factor in Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients

Hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocytes and platelets (HALP) score as a predictor of survival in patients with glioblastoma (GBM)

BACKGROUND

We aimed to investigate whether the HALP score was a predictor of survival in patients with Glioblastoma (GBM).

METHODS

A total of 84 Glioblastoma (GBM) patients followed in our clinic were included in the study. HALP scores were calculated using the preoperative hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte and platelet results of the patients. For the HALP score, a cut-off value was found by examining the area below the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Patients were divided into two groups as low and high according to this cut-off value. The relationships among the clinical, dermographic and laboratory parameters of the patients were examined using these two groups.

RESULTS

Median OS, PFS, HALP score, NLR, PLR were 15 months (1.0-78.0), 8 months (1.0-66.0), 37.39 ± 23.84 (min 6.00-max 132.31), 4.14, 145.07 respectively. A statistically significant correlation was found between HALP score and OS, PFS, NLR, PLR, ECOG-PS status using Spearman's rho test (p = 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.026 respectively). For the HALP score, a cut-off value of = 37.39 (AUC = 0.698, 95% CI, p < 0.002) was found using ROC analysis. Median OS was 12 (6.99-17.01) months in the low HALP group and 21 (11.37-30.63) months in the high HALP group (p = 0.117). NLR and PLR were significantly lower in the HALP high group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001 respectively). The ratio of receiving treatment was significantly higher in the high HALP group (p < 0.05). In Multivariate analysis, significant results were found for treatment status and ECOG-PS status (p < 0.001, p = 0.038 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The HALP score measured at the beginning of treatment seems to have predictive importance in the prognosis of GBM patients. A HALP score of > 37.39 was associated with prolonged survival in high-grade brain tumors.

Trajectories of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios during neoadjuvant chemotherapy correlate with short- and long-term outcomes in gastric cancer: a group-based trajectory analysis

BACKGROUND

Systemic inflammatory factors can predict the survival prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). However, whether longitudinal changes in systemic inflammatory factors are associated with short - and long-term outcomes has not been reported.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective analysis of 216 patients with advanced gastric cancer who received NACT between January 2011 and June 2019, comparing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for screening suitable inflammatory markers. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to analyze longitudinal changes in inflammatory markers during NACT to identify different potential subgroups and to compare postoperative complications, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) among subgroups.

RESULTS

Ultimately, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) had the highest area under the curve (AUC) value in predicting prognosis was included in the GBTM analysis. Three trajectories of NLR were obtained: Stable group (SG) (n = 89), Ascent-descend group (ADG) (n = 80) and Continuous descend group (CDG) (n = 47). Compared with SG, ADG and CDG are associated with an increased risk of postoperative recurrence and death. The median time of RFS and OS of SG was longer than that of ADG and CDG (median RFS 81 vs. 44 and 22 months; median OS 69 vs. 41 and 30 months). In addition, CDG had significantly higher postoperative serious complications than SG and ADG (17 (36.2%) vs. 17 (19.1%) and 12 (15.0%); p = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

There were different trajectories of NLR during NACT, and these potential trajectories were significantly associated with severe postoperative complications, recurrence, and mortality in patients with GC.

Superiority of CRP-albumin-lymphocyte index as a prognostic biomarker for patients with gastric cancer

OBJECTIVES

The new C-reactive protein (CRP)-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index is an immune nutrition scoring system based on serum CRP) serum albumin, and lymphocyte counts. The aim of this study was to verify the prognostic value of the CALLY index in patients with gastric cancer and to evaluate the superiority of this new system.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with gastric cancer who were followed up from the INSCOC database between May 2013 and December 2018. Through simple random sampling, patients with gastric cancer were placed into one of two groups: the training group (n = 684) or the verification group (n = 290) in a ratio of 7:3. Correlation analysis, Kaplan-Meier method, and cubic spline function were used to analyze the relationship between the CALLY index and overall survival (OS) in these patients. Based on the results of Cox regression analysis of the training cohort, a nomogram model for predicting 1 -, 2 -, 3-, and 5-y OS was established and verified internally. The prediction accuracy and benefit of the nomogram in gastric cancer were evaluated by calibration and clinical decision curve and compared with the traditional TNM gastric cancer staging system.

RESULTS

The CALLY index was negatively correlated with the age of patients with gastric cancer (men, r = -0.1; women, r = -0.1), but positively correlated with body mass index (BMI; men, r = 0.063; women, r = 0.058), and the cutoff value of the CALLY index was determined as 1.12. The OS of patients with gastric cancer and a CALLY index >1.12 was significantly higher than that of patients with gastric cancer and a CALLY index ≤1.12 (P < 0.0001). There was an L-shaped dose-response relationship between the CALLY index and OS in patients with gastric cancer, and age, TNM stage, surgical treatment, chemotherapy, BMI, and the CALLY index were significantly correlated with the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Tumor TNM stage, BMI, and the CALLY index were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. The CALLY index was a protective factor in the following patient factors: diagnosis of gastric cancer; <65 y of age; male; TNM 3 stage; BMI 18.5 to 23.9 kg/m2; smoker; consumer of alcohol; no radio- or chemotherapy; surgery; presence of diabetes, hypertension, or both; no family history of cancer; experienced a significant interaction with chemotherapy and surgery. A nomogram based on TNM staging, BMI, and the CALLY index has good predictive ability and clinical application value. Compared with traditional TNM staging systems, the nomogram has better resolution and accuracy in predicting 1 -, 2 -, 3-, and 5-year OS.

CONCLUSION

The CALLY index can be used as an independent prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer, and constructs a nomogram prediction model combining TNM staging, BMI, and CALLY index, which yields better predictions than traditional TNM staging.

Preoperative sarcopenia combined with prognostic nutritional index predicts long-term prognosis of radical gastrectomy with advanced gastric cancer: a comprehensive analysis of two-center study

PURPOSE

This study aims to investigate the predictive value of the combined index smni(skeletal muscle index (SMI)-prognostic nutrition index(PNI)) for the postoperative survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer(AGC).

METHODS

650 patients with AGC from two centers (290 cases from the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian University and 360 points from the Fujian Medical University Union Hospital) were selected as the study subjects based on unified screening criteria. Clinical data, preoperative abdominal CT images, results of hematology-related examinations, tumor-related characteristics, and surgical and follow-up data of the patients were collected and organized. The L3 vertebral level muscle area was measured using computer-assisted measurement techniques, and the skeletal muscle index(SMI) was calculated based on this measurement. The prognostic nutrition index (PNI) was calculated based on serum albumin and lymphocyte count indicators. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of data from the First Affiliated Hospital was used to determine that SMI and PNI are significantly correlated with the postoperative survival rate of patients with advanced gastric cancer. Based on this, a novel combined index smni was fitted and stratified for risk. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to determine that the index smni is an independent prognostic risk factor for patients with AGC after surgery. The ROC curve was used to describe the predictive ability of the new combined index and its importance and predictive power in predicting postoperative survival of patients with AGC, which was verified in the data of Fujian Medical University Union Hospital.

RESULT

The Kaplan-Meier curve analysis of the combined indicator smni Is clearly associated with long-term survival(3-year OS (P < 0.001) and DSS (P < 0.001)), univariate analysis and multivariate analysis showed that smni was an independent prognostic risk factor, The ROC curve for the first center 3-year OS(AUC = 0.678), DSS(AUC = 0.662) show good predictive ability and were validated in the second center.

CONCLUSION

The combined index smni has a good predictive ability for the postoperative survival rate of patients with AGC and is expected to provide a new reference basis and more accurate and scientific guidance for the postoperative management and treatment of patients with AGC.

The association between air pollutants, meteorological factors and tuberculosis cases in Beijing, China: A seven-year time series study

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis (TB) is a severe public health problem globally. Previous studies have revealed insufficient and inconsistent associations between air pollutants, meteorological factors and TB cases. Yet few studies have examined the associations between air pollutants, meteorological factors and TB cases in Beijing.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of air pollutants and meteorological factors on TB in Beijing, and to provide novel insights into public health managers to formulate control strategies of TB.

METHODS

Data on the daily case of TB in Beijing during 2014-2020 were obtained from Chinese tuberculosis information management system. Concurrent data on the daily PM₁₀, PM_2.5, SO₂, NO₂, CO and O₃, were obtained from the online publication platform of the Chinese National Environmental Monitoring Center. Daily average temperature, average wind speed, relative humidity, sunshine duration and total precipitation were collected from the China Meteorological Science Data Sharing Service System. A distributed lag non-linear model was fitted to identify the non-linear exposure-response relationship and the lag effects between air pollutions, meteorological factors and TB cases in Beijing.

RESULTS

In the single-factor model, the excess risk (ER) of TB was significantly positively associated with every 10 μg/m³ increase in NO₂ in lag 1 week (ER: 1.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.4%, 2.3%) and every 0.1 m/s increase in average wind speed in lag 5 weeks (ER: 0.3%; 95% CI: 0.1%, 0.5%), and was negatively associated with every 10 μg/m³ increase in O₃ in lag 1 week (ER: -1.2%; 95% CI: -1.8%, -0.5%), every 5 °C increase in average temperature (ER: -1.7%; 95% CI: -2.9%, -0.4%) and every 10% increase in average relative humidity (ER: -0.4%; 95% CI: -0.8%, -0.1%) in lag 10 weeks, respectively. In the multi-factor model, the lag effects between TB cases and air pollutants, meteorological factors were similar. The subgroup analysis suggests that the effects of NO₂, O₃, average wind speed and relative humidity on TB were greater in male or labor age subgroup, while the effect of CO was greater in the elderly. In addition, no significant associations were found between PM_2.5, SO_2, sunshine duration and TB cases.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide a better understanding of air pollutants and meteorological factors driving tuberculosis occurrence in Beijing, which enhances the capacity of public health manager to target early warning and disease control policy-making.

Model based on preoperative clinical characteristics to predict lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer

Background

The risk factors of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in gastric cancer (GC) remain controversial. We aimed to identify risk factors of LNM in GC and construct a predictive model.

Methods

A total of 1,337 resectable GC patients who underwent radical D2 lymphadenectomy at the first affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from January 2011 to January 2014 were retrospectively analyzed and randomly divided into training and validation cohorts (n = 1,003 and n = 334, respectively) in a 3:1 ratio. Collecting indicators include age, gender, body mass index (BMI), tumor location, pathology, histological grade, tumor size, preoperative neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (NLR), platelets to lymphocytes ratio (PLR), fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen19-9 (CA19-9) and lymph nodes status. Significant risk factors were identified through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, which were then included and presented as a nomogram. The performance of the model was assessed with receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curves), calibration plots, and Decision curve analysis (DCA), and the risk groups were divided into low-and high-risk groups according to the cutoff value which was determined by the ROC curve.

Results

BMI, histological grade, tumor size, CEA, and CA19-9 were enrolled in the model as independent risk factors of LNM. The model showed good resolution, with a C-index of 0.716 and 0.727 in the training and validation cohort, respectively, and good calibration. The cutoff value for predicted probability is 0.594, the proportion of patients with LNM in the high-risk group was significantly higher than that in the low-risk group. Decision curve analysis also indicated that the model had a good positive net gain.

Conclusions

The nomogram-based prediction model developed in this study is stable with good resolution, reliability, and net gain. It can be used by clinicians to assess preoperative lymph node metastasis and risk stratification to develop individualized treatment plans.

Changes in Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio, Lymphocyte to Monocyte Ratio, and Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio During Palliative Radiotherapy May Predict Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor as Re-Challenge Treatment in Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Case Report

Introduction

Immunotherapy with programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors has emerged as frontline option in patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer. However, two-thirds of patients who received PD-1 inhibitors treatment still had disease progression in 1 year. Subsequent treatment strategies as salvage options always lead to limited efficacy.

Case Description

Herein, we presented a case of recurrent metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma that had progressed on first-line treatment with nivolumab, in which systematic inflammation parameters with neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were significantly changed by palliative radiotherapy on metastatic lymph nodes. The patient achieved persistent response to the re-challenge of immune checkpoint inhibitor, which resulted in survival time reaching 52 months, and is still in extension.

Conclusions

We supposed that the palliative radiotherapy may lead to the correction of NLR, LMR, and PLR and finally contribute to the efficacy of the re-challenge treatment by PD-1 inhibitor.

Albumin/fibrinogen ratio, a predictor of chemotherapy resistance and prognostic factor for advanced gastric cancer patients following radical gastrectomy

Background

The objective of this study was to investigate potential predictors of chemotherapy resistance in patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) following radical gastrectomy.

Methods

Eligible stage II/III GC patients with adjuvant chemotherapy after radical gastrectomy were enrolled in this study. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess the predictive and optimal cut-off values of continuous variables for chemotherapy resistance. Potential risk factors for chemotherapy resistance were determined with binary univariate and multivariate analyses. Potential prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) were determined by COX regression analysis. The association between survival and AFR level was examined using the Kaplan–Meier curve analysis.

Results

A total of 160 patients were included in the data analysis, and 41 patients achieved chemotherapeutic resistance with an incidence of 25.6%. Pretreatment albumin/fibrinogen ratio (AFR) (cut-off value: 10.85, AUC: 0.713, P < 0.001) was a predictor for chemotherapeutic resistance by ROC curve analysis. Low AFR (< 10.85) was an independent risk factor of chemotherapeutic resistance as determined by the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses (OR: 2.55, 95%CI: 1.21–4.95, P = 0.005). Multivariate COX regression analyses indicated low AFR as a prognostic factor for 5-year OS (HR: 0.36, 95%CI: 0.15–0.73, P = 0.011). Low AFR was associated with poorer 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival.

Conclusions

This study indicated that a low level of pretreatment AFR could serve as an independent predictor of chemotherapy resistance and postoperative prognosis in GC patients following radical gastrectomy.

Metronomic Chemotherapy in Prostate Cancer

Despite the significant expansion of the therapeutic armamentarium associated with the introduction of novel endocrine therapies, cytotoxic agents, radiopharmaceuticals, and PARP inhibitors, progression of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) beyond treatment options remains the leading cause of death in advanced prostate cancer patients. Metronomic chemotherapy (MC) is an old concept of wise utilization of cytotoxic agents administered continuously and at low doses. The metronomic is unique due to its multidimensional mechanisms of action involving: (i) inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, (ii) inhibition of angiogenesis, (iii) mitigation of tumor-related immunosuppression, (iv) impairment of cancer stem cell functions, and (v) modulation of tumor and host microbiome. MC has been extensively studied in advanced prostate cancer before the advent of novel therapies, and its actual activity in contemporary, heavily pretreated mCRPC patients is unknown. We have conducted a prospective analysis of consecutive cases of mCRPC patients who failed all available standard therapies to find the optimal MC regimen for phase II studies. The metronomic combination of weekly paclitaxel 60 mg/m² i.v. with capecitabine 1500 mg/d p.o. and cyclophosphamide 50 mg/d p.o. was selected as the preferred regimen for a planned phase II study in heavily pretreated mCRPC patients.

Reduction of Cancer-Induced Thrombocytosis as a Biomarker of Improved Outcomes in Advanced Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND

Interplay between non-specific inflammatory reaction and tumor microenvironment in gastric cancer (GC) can be measured indirectly by assessing fluctuations in concentration of platelets. Cytotoxic chemotherapy affects these morphotic elements directly by inducing myelosuppression. It was hypothesized that chemotherapy not only directly affects malignant cells, but also through immunomodulation related to myelosuppression.

METHODS

Metastatic GC patients (N: 155) treated with chemotherapy +/- trastuzumab were enrolled in this retrospective study. Platelet pretreatment concentration (PLT-count) and the deepest level of platelet reduction, as well as other inflammatory and general confounders were collected in the first 12 weeks of treatment (PLT-red). Martingale residuals were used to visualize the relationship between PLT-count, PLT-red, and overall survival (OS). Multiple multivariate Cox regression models were built to assess the impact of platelet reduction on OS and progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS

Reduction of PLT (PLT-red) to 60% of baseline concentration was associated with improved survival rates (HR = 0.60, p = 0.026 for OS and HR 0.56, p = 0.015 for PFS). Cross-classification into four groups based on PLT-count (high vs low) and PLT-red (high vs low) showed significantly worse survival rates in both high PLT-count (HR = 3.60, p = 0.007 for OS and HR = 2.97, p = 0.024 for PFS) and low PLT-count (HR = 1.75, p = 0.035 for OS and HR = 1.80, p = 0.028 for PFS) patients with insufficient platelets reduction.

CONCLUSION

Thrombocytosis reduction represents a novel, clinically important, prognostic factor for OS and PFS in patients with stage IV GC.