Abstract
In cancer patients, prognostic markers are needed to improve the management and clinical course of both the cancer itself and surgery therefor. Elevated systemic inflammatory markers are associated with morbidity and mortality in most cancer types. In this study, we aimed to determine the prognostic value of inflammatory markers such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) in patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer. The data of 188 patients who underwent surgery for ovarian cancer between December 2022 and December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the correlation between complications and the inflammatory prognostic factors NLR, PLR, and LMR. Optimal cutoff values were determined as the points where the Youden index (sensitivity + specificity - 1) was maximal. Patients were compared according to the presence of complications. As a result of the ROC curve analysis, patients were divided as high and low NLR and PLR groups. The difference of preoperative and postoperative inflammatory prognostic factors was compared according to the presence of complications. In this study in which a total of 90 patients were evaluated, the cutoff value for NLR was 2.04 (areas under the ROC curve: 0.655; P < .05) and the cutoff value for PLR was 145.3 (areas under the ROC curve: 0.740; P < .05) according to the presence of complications. In the group with complications, lymphopenia and thrombocytosis were more common preoperatively, while patients were more anemic postoperatively (P < .05). Patients in the high NLR group were younger and received less neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In the high PLR group, the number of patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy was lower, and although the patients were more anemic and lymphopenic, higher rates of neutrophilia and thrombocytosis were observed. The analysis of preoperative and postoperative NLR, PLR, and LMR differences revealed an increase in NLR and PLR values and a decrease in LMR values (P < .05). The preoperative systemic inflammatory biomarkers NLR and PLR may be considered as prognostic predictors of poor postoperative outcomes. Therefore, consideration of these biomarkers may have an important role in clinical course management.