Neutrophil/Lymphocyte and Platelet/Lymphocyte Ratios are Not Different among Breast Cancer Subtypes

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous complex of diseases comprising different subtypes that have different treatment responses and clinical outcomes. Systemic inflammation is known to be associated with poor prognosis in many types of cancer. The neutrophil / lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet / lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are factors used as indicators of inflammation. In this study, we evaluated NLR and PLR ratios in breast cancer subtypes. METHODS: A total of 255 breast cancer patients were evaluated retrospectively. Patients were classified into three subtypes: estrogen receptor (ER)- or progesterone receptor (PR)-positive tumors were classified as luminal tumors; human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-overexpressed and ER-negative tumors were classified as HER2-positive tumors; and ER, PR, and HER2-negative tumors were classified as triple-negative tumors. The NLR and PLR were calculated. RESULTS: The median NLR and PLR were 3 (0.37–37,1) and 137 (37.1–421.3), respectively. 66.7% of the patients were luminal type, 19.2% were HER2 positive, and 14.1% were triple negative. NLR was not associated with grade (p: 0.412), lymphovascular invasion (p: 0.326), tumor size (p: 0.232) and metastatic lymph node involvement (p: 0.406). PLR was higher in the patients with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis (p: 0.03). The NLR was 2 in the luminal group, 1.8 in the HER2-positive group, and 1.9 in the triple-negative group, but the differences were not significant(p: 0.051). PLR was 141 in the luminal group, 136 in the HER2-positive group, and 130 in the triple-negative group, but the differences were not significant. CONCLUSION: We could not find any significant differences for NLR and PLR according to breast cancer subtypes.