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Platelet to lymphocyte ratio and red cell distribution width as prognostic factors for survival and recurrence in patients with oral cancer

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Abstract

Although platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and red cell distribution width (RDW) have been reported as good predictors for survival outcomes in various cancers, there is limited data supporting these as reliable predictors in oral cancer. This study thus aimed to assess the prognostic value of PLR and RDW markers in predicting survival and recurrence rates in patients with oral cancer. The records of 374 oral cancer patients treated with curative intent over a 7-year period (2009–2015) were reviewed. Survival and recurrence outcomes were compared between those with low and high PLR (≤135 vs. >135) and those with low and high RDW (≤14.05 vs. >14.05) using hazard ratios (HR). The 5-year disease-specific survival was significantly higher and recurrence rate significantly lower among the low PLR group compared to the high PLR group (65.7 vs. 37.6%; p < 0.001 and 34.4 and 57.5%; p < 0.001), respectively. There were no significant differences between the low and high RDW groups for disease-specific survival (53.6 vs. 54.7%, p = 0.408) and recurrence (40.0% vs. 53.8%, p = 0.079). Multivariate analysis showed that PLR was associated with disease-specific survival (HR = 2.05, p < 0.001) and recurrence (HR = 1.69, p < 0.005) after adjusting for other factors, but not RDW. High PLR shows promise as a prognostic predictor for poor survival and recurrence in patients with oral cancer, but further studies are required. RDW has no prognostic value on any outcome.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Associate Professor Hutcha Sriplung and Mr. Edward McNeil who were the consultants for this research study, Mrs. Nannapat Pruphetkeaw for her assistance with data analysis, and Mr. David L. Patterson for editing the manuscript for English.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110, Thailand

    Manupol Tangthongkum, Sireethorn Tiyanuchit, Virat Kirtsreesakul, Pasawat Supanimitjaroenporn & Wattana Sinkitjaroenchai

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  1. Manupol Tangthongkum
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  2. Sireethorn Tiyanuchit
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  3. Virat Kirtsreesakul
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Correspondence to Manupol Tangthongkum.

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Funding

The research was supported by a Grant from the Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.

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The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical approval

The Ethic Committee at Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University approved the study protocol. The reference number of the study approval was EC60-020-13-1. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was not obtained because this study was a retrospective analysis.

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Tangthongkum, M., Tiyanuchit, S., Kirtsreesakul, V. et al. Platelet to lymphocyte ratio and red cell distribution width as prognostic factors for survival and recurrence in patients with oral cancer. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 274, 3985–3992 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-017-4734-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-017-4734-1

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