Prognostic significance of pretreatment lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in patients with tongue cancer

Abstract

Background/Aim: Low pre-operative lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) is associated with worse outcomes in several malignancies. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of LMR in tongue cancer. Materials and Methods: A total of 103 patients with pathologically-proven tongue cancer were retrospectively analyzed. The peripheral LMR and the ratio of CD8-positive to CD14-positive (CD8 + /CD14 + ) tumor-infiltrating cells were determined by immunohistochemical staining. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used for statistical analysis. Results: There was a significant difference in overall survival (OS) between low LMR and high LMR, and low CD8 + /CD14 + tumor-infiltrating cells and high CD8 + /CD14 + tumor infiltrating cells. For the clinical analysis, multivariate analysis showed that clinical ocular inspection type and low LMR were independent predictors for poor OS. Concerning the immunohistochemical analysis, monocyte count was independent predictor of poor OS. Conclusion: Pre-operative LMR and CD8 + /CD14 + tumor-infiltrating cells serve as independent prognostic biomarkers.