Usefulness of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio measured preoperatively as a predictor of peritoneal metastasis in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The prognosis for gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis is poor. Many studies have reported that the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) might be useful to predict the degree of progression of gastric cancer. In this study, we attempted to evaluate whether the NLR and other related laboratory parameters might be reliable predictors of the presence of peritoneal metastasis in patients with advanced gastric cancer. METHODS: The data of 359 patients who underwent gastric surgery between June 2008 and December 2011 were reviewed. A retrospective analysis of the preoperative blood data in relation to the presence of peritoneal metastasis was carried out. RESULTS: An increased serum C-reactive protein level (P = 0.022), APTT (P = 0.017) and NLR (P < 0.001), and a decreased serum Alb (P = 0.014) were significantly related to the presence of peritoneal metastasis. A multivariate analysis showed that a NLR >2.37 (OR = 2.59, 95 % CI = 1.38-4.93, P = 0.003) and clinical T4 stage (OR = 4.36, 95 % CI = 2.33-8.24, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of the presence of peritoneal metastasis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the preoperative NLR was a significant independent predictor of the presence of peritoneal metastasis in patients with advanced gastric cancer.