The Clinical Impact of the Pretreatment Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Gastric Cancer Patients Who Receive Curative Treatment

Abstract

Background/aim: The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is a promising prognostic marker in some malignancies. The present study evaluated the clinical impact of the PLR in patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative resection.

Patients and methods: This study included 258 patients who underwent curative treatment for gastric cancer between 2005 and 2020. The prognosis and clinicopathological parameters between the high- and low-PLR statuses were analyzed.

Results: The overall survival (OS) stratified by each clinical factor was compared using the log-rank test, and a significant difference was observed using a pretreatment PLR of 150. When comparing the patient backgrounds between the high-PLR (PLR≥150) and low-PLR (PLR<150) groups, there were no significant differences between the two groups. The OS rates at 3 and 5 years after surgery were significantly higher at 70.8% and 60.4%, respectively, for the high-PLR group than at 83.6% and 79.7%, respectively, for the low-PLR group. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the OS showed that the PLR was a significant prognostic factor. In addition, when comparing the first recurrence sites, there were significant differences in peritoneal recurrence.

Conclusion: The PLR is a significant risk factor for gastric cancer, making it a promising prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer.

Keywords: Platelet; gastric cancer; lymphocyte; survival.