Publication:

Role of pre-treatment neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as a diagnostic marker of malignancy in breast carcinoma patients: a study in a tertiary care centre

Background Inflammation is closely associated with cancer. Inflammation maintains and promotes cancer growth by causing tumor tissue remodelling and angiogenesis. It also helps in metastasis and helps tumor cells to survive by suppressing anti-cancer innate immune response. Recent studies have suggested use of Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for evaluation of systemic inflammation. Present study was undertaken with an aim to compare NLR among patients with malignant breast neoplasm with and without metastasis.

Methods This was a cross sectional observational study comprising of 179 women with breast neoplasm. Patients were categorized into two subgroups of benign proliferative breast mass and malignant breast mass (with or without metastasis). Data was collected from pre intervention complete blood count reports of all patients. To obtain NLR values neutrophil count were divided by lymphocyte counts. A comparison of NLR values in different subgroups of the patients was performed.

Results Mean neutrophil values in benign and malignant subgroups were 64.02±7.9 and 70.75±9.2 respectively. Mean lymphocyte count in benign and malignant subgroups was 27.527±7.565 and 20.220±7.354 respectively. Difference in mean values for neutrophils and lymphocytes was not significant in benign and malignant subgroups. Significant difference was present in values of NLR among benign and malignant subgroups, but within malignant subgroup no significant difference was present among patients with or without metastasis.

Conclusions Present study findings supported that pre-intervention Neutrophil Lymphocyte ratio is a promising biomarker of malignancy.