Prognostic value of baseline and change in neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio for survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with poor performance status receiving PD-1 inhibitors

BACKGROUND: Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with poor performance status (PS) are likely to receive programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors, despite limited evidence. The aim of the present study was to report the clinical outcomes and potential prognostic biomarkers in advanced NSCLC patients with poor PS receiving PD-1 inhibitors. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study enrolling 101 advanced NSCLC patients from our hospital. Data of patients with poor PS 2–4 receiving PD-1 inhibitors were retrieved from medical records. Patients were stratified based on dichotomized baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), change in NLR (ΔNLR; 6 weeks post-treatment NLR minus baseline NLR), and their combination. The receiver-operating characteristic curve was used to assess the best cutoff for NLR. Multivariate Cox analysis was used to evaluate the prognostic value of NLR and ΔNLR for patients’ survival. RESULTS: The optimal cutoff for NLR was 4.5. The median follow-up was 25.7 months, baseline NLR ≥4.5, and ΔNLR ≥0, which were independently and significantly associated with shorter overall survival (both P=0.002) and progression-free survival (P=0.004 for NLR and P<0.001 for ΔNLR). Furthermore, simultaneous elevation of the 2 factors was associated with worsened prognosis; patients with both NLR ≥4.5 and ΔNLR ≥0 had significantly increased risk of death [hazards ratio (HR): 10.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.30–27.10] and disease progression (HR: 10.49, 95% CI: 4.39–25.09), compared with both low NLR and ΔNLR patients. Patients with either NLR ≥4.5 or ΔNLR ≥0 showed an intermediate risk for death (HR: 3.12, 95% CI: 1.35–7.21) and progression (HR: 3.45, 95% CI: 1.62–7.36). CONCLUSIONS: High baseline NLR and increased post-treatment NLR might aid in the stratification of high progression and death risk groups in advanced NSCLC patients with poor PS receiving PD-1 inhibitors.