Prognostic value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and clinicopathological characteristics for multiple myeloma: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was reported to be an effective parameter in carcinoma prognosis. Many studies were already performed to investigate the prognostic value of NLR in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). The results, however, were still debatable. METHODS: Databases of Pubmed, Cochrane library and Embase were examined. Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to assess the results. In addition, odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs were used to evaluate the association of NLR with clinicopathological factors. Meta-regression, sensitivity analysis, and subgroup analysis were also performed. RESULTS: The results showed poor OS (HR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.23-2.44; P = .002) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.11-2.73; P = .015) when pretreatment NLR elevated. Our pooled ORs suggested that NLR had association with International Staging System (ISS), isotype and response to treatment. CONCLUSION: The meta-analysis results demonstrated that NLR could predict prognosis in MM patients.