Second-generation inflammation-related scores are more effective than systemic inflammation ratios in predicting prognosis of patients with unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy

Inflammation is known to play an important role in the biology of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPDAC), and systemic inflammatory response (SIR) is reported to be closely related to outcome in mPDAC. The aim of the present paper is to assess the prognostic performance of SIR-related variables in patients with mPDAC receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy. Data of patients with mPDAC, who were registered in the database of the division of Medical Oncology of the G. Borea Hospital in Sanremo, were retrospectively collected. Three SIR-related variables were calculated. Univariate and multivariate analyses have been performed by Cox regression, and every SIR-related variable was added to the Cox model. After univariate analyses, four variables reported a significant relationship with overall survival (OS) and were included in a Cox model. Two of the three SIR-related variables were related with OS in the bivariate analyses, and maintained their independent prognostic effect when added to the previous Cox model in multivariate analysis. These variables were two scores, such as neutrophil-platelet score (NPS; HR 2.144, CIs 1.392–3.300) and tri-linear peripheric blood cell score (TRIS; HR 1.813, CIs 1.331–2.468). It appears that the second-generation inflammation-related variables are more effective in predicting prognosis of patients with mPDAC receiving chemotherapy.