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Post-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts for overall survival in brain metastases treated with stereotactic radiosurgery

  • Clinical Study
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Abstract

Introduction

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a surrogate for systemic inflammatory response and its elevation has been shown to be a poor prognostic factor in various malignancies. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) can induce a leukocyte-predominant inflammatory response. This study investigates the prognostic impact of post-SRS NLR in patients with brain metastases (BM).

Methods

BM patients treated with SRS from 2003 to 2015 were retrospectively identified. NLR was calculated from the most recent full blood counts post-SRS. Overall survival (OS) and intracranial outcomes were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and cumulative incidence with competing risk for death, respectively.

Results

188 patients with 328 BM treated with SRS had calculable post-treatment NLR values. Of these, 51 (27.1%) had a NLR > 6. The overall median imaging follow-up was 13.2 (14.0 vs. 8.7 for NLR ≤ 6.0 vs. > 6.0) months. Baseline patient and treatment characteristics were well balanced, except for lower rate of ECOG performance status 0 in the NLR > 6 cohort (33.3 vs. 44.2%, p = 0.026). NLR > 6 was associated with worse 1- and 2-year OS: 59.9 vs. 72.9% and 24.6 vs. 43.8%, (p = 0.028). On multivariable analysis, NLR > 6 (HR: 1.53; 95% CI 1.03–2.26, p = 0.036) and presence of extracranial metastases (HR: 1.90; 95% CI 1.30–2.78; p < 0.001) were significant predictors for worse OS. No association was seen with NLR and intracranial outcomes.

Conclusion

Post-treatment NLR, a potential marker for post-SRS inflammatory response, is inversely associated with OS in patients with BM. If prospectively validated, NLR is a simple, systemic marker that can be easily used to guide subsequent management.

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Acknowledgements

Research reported in this publication was supported in part by the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Shared Resource of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and National Institute of Health/National Cancer Institute under award number P30CA138292. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Rush University Medical Center, 500 South Paulina, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Mudit Chowdhary, Philip A. Blumenfeld, Gaurav Marwaha, Aidnag Diaz, Dian Wang & Ross A. Abrams

  2. Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Shared Resource, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Jeffrey M. Switchenko

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Robert H. Press, Jaymin Jhaveri, Zachary S. Buchwald, Hui-Kuo G. Shu & Walter J. Curran

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Jeffrey J. Olson

  5. Department of Therapeutic Radiology and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Kirtesh R. Patel

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  1. Mudit Chowdhary
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  2. Jeffrey M. Switchenko
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  3. Robert H. Press
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  9. Dian Wang
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  14. Kirtesh R. Patel
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Mudit Chowdhary or Kirtesh R. Patel.

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Chowdhary, M., Switchenko, J.M., Press, R.H. et al. Post-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts for overall survival in brain metastases treated with stereotactic radiosurgery. J Neurooncol 139, 689–697 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-018-2914-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-018-2914-5

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