Significance of Preoperative Evaluations of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha, the Granulocyte/Lymphocyte Ratio and Their Correlation with Regard to Outcome in Gastric Cancer Patients

Aim: In order to clarify the anti-cancer effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), we examined the relationship between the preoperative evaluations of TNF alpha and the granulocyte/lymphocyte ratio (G/L ratio) in relation to outcome in gastric cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Peripheral blood samples were taken within 1 week before curative gastrectomy for measurement of TNF alpha and the G/L ratio. Five-year survival was determined in 71 operative gastric cancer cases. Results: The 5-year survival of the high TNF alpha group (>= 8,000 pg/ml) was 64.1%, 29.0% for the low TNF alpha group (<8,000 pg/ml) and 13.3 and 73.1% for those of the high (>= 4.0) and low (<4.0) G/L ratio groups, respectively. The comparisons of these 5-year survival rates showed statistically significant differences. Moreover, there was a negative linear correlation between TNF alpha and the G/L ratio regarding outcome. Conclusions: Preoperative evaluations with TNF alpha and the G/L ratio may be important prognostic indicators, and their correlation may be a good indicator of the degree of effectiveness in activating anti-cancer immunity in gastric cancer patients. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel