The association of hematologic parameters on the prognosis of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Purpose: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) bears a poor prognosis. We investigated the prognostic significance of some hematologic parameters of patients with mRCC. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 53 patients with mRCC. The mean follow up time was 34 months (range 5-142). We assessed the prognostic value of hematologic parameters (leukocytes,neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio/NLR, platelet to lymphocyte ratio/PLR), and other clinical parameters with univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) risk group, lung metastases, sunitinib treatment, lymphocyte count, NLR, and anemia significantly correlated with median overall survival (OS) on univariate analysis. The median OS in patients with a NLR < 3.4 was 32.2 months, significantly higher than the 13.9 months in patients with a ratio >= 3.4 (p = 0.006). Multivariate analysis revealed that MSKCC risk group and the NLR were independent predictors of OS. Conclusion: Hematologic parameters may be associated with OS in mRCC. However, further studies are needed to establish their routine use.