The prognostic and predictive value of the combination of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who receive transarterial chemoembolization therapy

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the prognostic value of the combination of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (neutrophil/platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR-PLR]) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who receive transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) therapy.

Patients and methods: Data from 216 patients who were diagnosed with HCC after TACE therapy were retrospectively collected. R software was used to analyze the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and to compare the area under the ROC curves (AUROCs).

Results: The long-term survival rates were significantly higher for patients with lower values than those with higher values of NLR, PLR, and NLR-PLR. The mean overall survival decreased gradually with increases in the NLR-PLR score (P<0.0001). The AUROC values of the NLR-PLR score were consistently higher than those of NLR and PLR.

Conclusion: This study showed that the NLR-PLR score might be a useful predictor for patients with HCC who receive TACE therapy.