Prognostic value of inflammation-based indices in patients with resected hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: As is well recognized that inflammation plays a crucial role in the genesis and progression of various cancer. Here we investigate the prognostic value of a novel index: the combination of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet distribution width (coNLR-PDW) in post-operation patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to determine the optimal cutoff values of continuous variables, including the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet distribution width (PDW). Kaplan-Meier method and the Log-rank test were used to compare survival differences across three groups stratified by the coNLR-PDW score. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were adopted to identify independent factors of HCC patient's prognosis. Results: 1.59 and 13.0 were perceived as the optimal cutoff value for NLR and PDW based on the ROC curve, respectively. Kaplan-Meier method revealed that a higher coNLR-PDW score predicts poorer overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) (P < 0.001). coNLR-PDW was demonstrated as an independent factor for both OS and DFS using Cox regression analysis in training and validation cohort. Conclusion: coNLR-PDW is recognized as a valuable biomarker for predicting the survival of patients with HCC.

Automated summary

This study investigated the prognostic value of the combination of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet distribution width in post-operation patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma. The results demonstrated that this combination index is a valuable biomarker for predicting the survival of patients with HCC.