Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of De Ritis ratio (DRR), Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) for major post-operative complications following Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) surgery, and to assess their predictive utility in addition to Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI).
Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis of patients who underwent surgery for M0 RCC. Primary outcome was the occurrence of major complication (Clavien-Dindo >2). Optimal thresholds for DRR, NLR, and PLR were identified using Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Multivariable logistic regression (MVA) assessed associations between biomarkers and complications, adjusting for CCI, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), tumor size, surgery type, pT/pN stage, R.E.N.A.L. score. Predictive performance was evaluated using the Area under Curves (AUC) from ROC curves. Internal validation was performed with 1000-sample bootstrapping.
Results: Among 4122 patients, 198 (4.8%) experienced major complications [urinary leak (n = 90, 35.7% of all major complications), bleeding/hematoma (n = 38, 15.1%), and cardiac events (n = 15, 6.0%)]. AIC identified thresholds of 2.3 for elevated DRR (EDRR), 2.7 for NLR (ENLR), and 200 for PLR (EPLR). 191 (4.6%), 1243 (30.2%), and 684 (16.6%) patients had elevated EDRR, ENL, and EPLR. On MVA, all three biomarkers independently predicted major complications: EDRR [Odds ratio (OR) = 3.06, P = .02], ENLR (OR = 1.25, P = .01), EPLR (OR = 1.30, P = .01). AUCs were 0.63 for CCI alone, 0.77 with additional covariates, and 0.85 for the model with all biomarkers. Bootstrapped AUC for the full model was 0.77.
Conclusion: Preoperative DRR, NLR, and PLR improve prediction of major complications after RCC surgery in addition to CCI. Our findings point towards an enhanced model to risk stratify and optimize patient outcomes in RCC surgery.
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