Combination of platelet count and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio is a prognostic factor in patients undergoing surgery for non-small cell lung cancer

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of a novel inflammation-based prognostic system, called COP-LMR (combination of platelet count and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio), for predicting postoperative survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). COP-LMR was calculated on the basis of the obtained data. Patients with both an elevated platelet count (PLT) (> 30 x 10(4)mm(-3)) and a low LMR (< 3.6) were assigned a score of 2, and patients with one or none of the parameters were assigned a score of 1 or 0, respectively. A total of 1120 patients who underwent complete resection were enrolled in this study. Multivariate analysis revealed that COP-LMR is an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (DFS) (P < 0.001) and overall survival (OS) (P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test revealed that COP-LMR stratified the patients into 3 independent groups (P < 0.001). In conclusion, COP-LMR is a potential prognostic biomarker in patients undergoing surgery for NSCLC.