Background: There is limited information regarding NLR-PLR (the combination of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR] and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio [PLR]) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to assess the predictive ability of NLR-PLR in patients with resectable hepatitis B virus-related HCC within Milan criteria after hepatectomy.
Methods: Two hundred thirty-six consecutive HCC patients were included in the study. The postoperative NLR-PLR was calculated based on the data obtained on the first postoperative month after liver resection as follows: patients with both an elevated PLR and an elevated NLR, which were detected by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, were allocated a score of 2, and patients showing one or neither of these elevations were allocated a score of 1 or 0, respectively.
Results: During the follow-up period, 113 patients experienced recurrence and 41 patients died. Multivariate analyses suggested that tumor-node-metastasis stage, preoperative alpha-fetal protein, and postoperative NLR-PLR were independently associated with recurrence, whereas microvascular invasion and postoperative NLR-PLR adversely impacted the overall survival. The 5-y recurrence-free and overall survival rates of the patients with a postoperative NLR-PLR of 0, 1, or 2 were 43.6%, 35.6%, or 8.3% (P < 0.001) and 82.1%, 73.0%, or 10.5% (P < 0.001), respectively.
Conclusions: The postoperative NLR-PLR predicted outcomes of hepatitis B virus-related HCC patients within Milan criteria after liver resection.
Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio.
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