Publication:

The use of peripheral blood cells as an assessment of inflammation in prostate cancer in patients attending in surgery department at ESUT teaching hospital, Parklane, Enugu, Nigeria

Background Full blood count (FBC) is a prerequisite investigation requested from all prostate cancer (PCa) patients pre and post treatment, poor parameter influences the outcome of cancers.

Methods Total subjects consisted of 84 male subjects between the ages 41 to >80 years. Longitudinal study was conducted. Controls and test samples were collected at diagnosis and at different stages of the treatment. Demographic information was obtained using a questionnaire. The data was analyzed using IBM statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) PC, version 20.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, III., USA; the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve was obtained via neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) ratios cut-off determinations. Cox proportional-hazards regression analyses the prognostic factors (duration, ratios) and overall survival (diagnosis to death or last follow-up). A paired sample t-test compared test of significance in pre/post treatment results. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey HSD post-hoc, test susceptibility within age groups was done.

Results Increased NLR and LMR were significantly associated with increased hazard ratio (HR) and OS at p 0.05 in PCa. In complete blood count (CBC) and erythrocytic sedimentation rate (ESR), control and treatment period, all red blood cell (RBC) parameters showed a significant decrease at p<0.05 in treatment results compared to the pre-treatment results while total platelet (TPLT), total white blood cells (TWBC), NC, LC, ESR showed significant increase at p<0.05 in treatment results compared to pre-treatment results. Age group 41-50 years showed more susceptibility than other age groups with significant decrease at p<0.05 in NC, LC and increased MC.

Conclusions This study supports CBC and ESR biomarkers as a prognostic tool in early detection, treatment and monitoring of disease progression in these subjects.