Objective: To explore whether the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and its changes are related to tumor recurrence in grade II–IV glioma patients.
Methods: One hundred patients who underwent two surgeries (first for diagnosis and the second for recurrence) were retrospectively analyzed. Complete blood count was obtained preoperatively before any treatment. Basic NLR (before the first surgery) and NLR changes were calculated. Tumor recurrence was evaluated by progression-free survival (PFS) using the Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to determine the potential prognostic factors for PFS.
Results: The PFS of patients with high basic NLR (≥ 4) (median 9 months) was shorter than that of patients with low basic NLR (< 4) (median 23 months) (P = 0.004). Univariate and multivariate analyses both showed that basic NLR (before the first surgery) (≥ 4 vs < 4) was an independent predictor of PFS (P = 0.011). The PFS is also varied with NLR changes before two surgeries (P < 0.05). The PFS of patients with two low NLR (< 4) at both initial surgical resection and section for tumor recurrence had the longest PSF. The patients with two high NLR (≥ 4) at both initial surgical resection and section for tumor recurrence had the shortest PSF. The patients with one high NLR (≥ 4) at initial surgical resection or section for tumor recurrence had an average PSF. Multivariate analysis showed that the change of NLR was of prognostic significance independent of glioma grade.
Conclusion: We showed both basic NLR and NLR changes could predict the recurrence of glioma, but the change of NLR is more accurate than that of basic NLR. The current research not only provides a simple and feasible method for clinical judgment of glioma recurrence but also provides a new idea for exploring the mechanism of glioma recurrence.
Keywords: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, glioma, prognosis, recurrence, PFS