Association of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio with Clinicopathological Features in Breast Cancer

Abstract

Background: Even with the advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast malignancy, to date breast cancer is still the number one cause of death in women in Pakistan. Various researches proved that prolonged inflammatory conditions played a part in progression of malignancy, these factors also promote growth leading to poor prognosis. This study shows the analysis of peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in breast malignancy and its association with disease characteristics Methods: The cross-sectional study was done in Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College, Karachi. Pakistan.  A total of 2059 female patient population with breast cancer hit the criteria. The patients were asked to undergo a complete blood count with leukocyte differential preoperatively. Patients’ complete data was collected preoperatively including specimen-related histopathology reports. Patients excluded were those with clinical evidence of ongoing active infection/sepsis, any blood disorders, any previous or ongoing inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, and steroid therapy. Results: No association was seen between the NLR with the age, grade, and luminal subtypes. However, NLR had a significant association with the size and stage of the disease. With an increase in NLR, the stage increased. Conclusion: The study identifies the usefulness of the NLR ratio, which in the future can be used as a diagnostic adjunct in the preoperative workup of patients with breast malignancy.