Prognostic significance of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with stage III and IVcolorectal cancer

AIM To evaluate the prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS Between April 1996 and December 2010, medical records from a total of 1868 patients with CRC were retrospectively reviewed. The values of simple inflammatory markers including NLR and PLR in predicting the long-term outcomes of these patients were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models. RESULTS The median follow-up duration was 46 mo (interquartile range, 22-73). The estimation of NLR and PLR was based on the time of diagnosis. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, high NLR (>= 3.0) and high PLR (>= 160) were independent risk factors predicting poor long-term outcomes in patients with stage. and. CRC. However, high NLR and high PLR were not prognostic factors in patients with stage. and. CRC. CONCLUSION In this study, we identified that high NLR (>= 3.0) and high PLR (>= 160) are useful prognostic factors to predict long-term outcomes in patients with stage. and. CRC.