Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

e19560 Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) represents about 30-40% of all cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The addition of rituximab to standard chemotherapy significantly improves survival, yet 30% of advanced-stage patients relapse. The International Prognostic Index (IPI) is used to evaluate the prognosis, but it cannot always accurately predict the outcome of therapy. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has recently been recognized as a prognostic factor in various types of solid tumors. The purpose of this study was to assess the prognostic value of NLR in DLBCL patients. Methods: Patients with DLBCL (n = 47) were recruited, including 31 patients in remission and 16 patients with relapsed DLBCL. All patients received 6-8 cycles of R-CHOP. Clinical parameters were studied, including IPI and complete blood count before treatment and after each chemotherapy cycle. Results: IPI predicted unfavorable outcome in 3 (18.75%) patients with relapses, and favorable outcome and high treatment efficacy in 13 (81.25%) patients. Among patients in remission, IPI predicted unfavorable outcome in 2 (6.5%) patients and favorable outcome in 29 (93.5%) patients. NLR calculation showed 100% low treatment efficacy for patients with relapses (NLR =4.1±0.51). At the same time, NLR predicted favorable outcome in 22 (70.96%) patients in remission (NLR =1.9±0.20), and relapses in 9 (29.04%) patients (NLR =4.83±0.55). 7 (22.6%) of the patients at risk developed relapses within 6-10 months after good treatment effects. Conclusions: Thus, NLR can be used as a prognostic factor in patients with DLBCL.