The post-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and changes in this ratio predict survival after treatment of stage III non-small-cell lung cancer with conventionally fractionated radiotherapy

Aim: To investigate the predictive potential of post-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and changes in this ratio (Delta NLR) for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (CFRT). Patients & methods: The data of 168 NSCLC patients treated at the Shandong Cancer Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. The relationship between progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and post-treatment NLR and Delta NLR were analyzed using both Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods. Results: Kaplan-Meier survival analyses showed that post-treatment NLR and Delta NLR were associated with PFS (p < 0.001) and OS (p < 0.001) after CFRT. Multivariate analyses revealed that Delta NLR was an independent predictor of PFS (p = 0.001) and OS (p = 0.018). Post-treatment NLR can only be used as an independent predictor of PFS (p = 0.040). Conclusion: Our results demonstrated the prognostic value of the Delta NLR in predicting PFS and OS in stage III NSCLC patients undergoing CFRT. However, post-treatment NLR has predictive value only for PFS.