A meta-analysis of the impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio on treatment outcomes after radiotherapy for solid tumors

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR) as a prognostic factor in predicting treatment outcomes after radiotherapy (RT) for solid tumors. METHODS: PubMed and Embase databases were used to search for articles published by February 2019 based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to evaluate the association between NLR levels and treatment outcomes after RT. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) rates. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival, disease-free survival, and disease-specific survival rates. RESULTS: Thirty-eight datasets with a total of 7065 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Patients with high pretreatment NLR demonstrated significantly worse OS with a pooled HR of 1.90 (95% CI 1.66–2.17, P < .001). In patients receiving RT alone, the pooled HR for OS was 1.71 (95% CI 1.44–2.04, P < .001) with no between-study heterogeneity (I(2) = 0%, P = .46). CONCLUSION: Elevated pretreatment NLR is associated with poorer survival in cancer patients undergoing RT. Elevated pretreatment NLR prior to RT initiation may be a useful biomarker to predict treatment outcomes and select a subgroup of patients in need of a more aggressive treatment approach.