Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is associated with advanced pathologic tumor stage and increased cancer-specific mortality among patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder undergoing radical cystectomy

Abstract

Background: Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker of systemic inflammation that has been associated with adverse survival in a variety of malignancies. However, the relationship between NLR and oncologic outcomes following radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) has not been well studied.

Objective: To evaluate the association of preoperative NLR with clinicopathologic outcomes following RC.

Design, setting, and participants: We identified 899 patients who underwent RC without neoadjuvant therapy at our institution between 1994 and 2005 and who had a pretreatment NLR.

Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Preoperative NLR (within 90 d prior to RC) was recorded. Recurrence-free, cancer-specific, and overall survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard and logistic regression models were used to analyze the association of NLR with clinicopathologic outcomes.

Results and limitations: Median postoperative follow-up was 10.9 yr (interquartile range: 8.3-13.9 yr). Higher preoperative NLR was associated with significantly increased risks of pathologic, extravesical tumor extension (odds ratio [OR]: 1.07; p=0.03) and lymph node involvement (OR: 1.09; p=0.02). Univariately, 10-yr cancer-specific survival was significantly worse among patients with a preoperative NLR (≥2.7 [51%] vs. <2.7 [64%]; p<0.001). Moreover, on multivariate analysis, increased preoperative NLR was independently associated with greater risks of disease recurrence (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.04; p=0.02), death from bladder cancer (HR: 1.04; p=0.01), and all-cause mortality (HR: 1.03; p=0.01).

Conclusions: Elevated preoperative NLR among patients undergoing RC is associated with significantly increased risk for locally advanced disease as well as subsequent disease recurrence, and cancer-specific and all-cause mortality. These data suggest that serum NLR may be a useful prognostic marker for preoperative patient risk stratification, including consideration for neoadjuvant therapy and clinical trial enrollment.

Keywords: Bladder cancer; Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio; Radical cystectomy; Urothelial cancer.