Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Is a Potential Prognostic Biomarker in Patients with Ovarian Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Plenty of studies were conducted to explore the prognostic significance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in ovarian cancer with contradictory results. This study aims to summarize the prognostic significance of NLR in patients with ovarian cancer. METHODS: A literature search in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase was conducted. The endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Eleven studies involving a total of 2,892 patients were identified. The results indicated that patients with high NLR had shorter PFS compared to patients with low NLR in ovarian cancer (HR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.15–2.08, p = 0.004, and I(2) = 61%). Similarly, high NLR was related to shorter OS (HR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.03–2.23, p = 0.04, and I(2) = 85%). Moreover, high NLR was significantly associated with shorter PFS when the NLR cut-off was less than 3.3 (p = 0.03) or when treatment is operation (p = 0.002). In addition, high NLR was distinctly related to worse OS in Asian people (p = 0.04) or operation (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: High NLR was associated with shorter PFS and shorter OS in ovarian cancer. NLR is potentially a promising prognostic biomarker in patients with ovarian cancer.