Correlation between neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio and postoperative cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients with esophageal cancer

Abstract

The present study intends to investigate the correlation between neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in elderly patients with esophageal cancer. Elderly patients >65 years old with esophageal cancer in our department from October 2017 to June 2021 were included in the study. The cognitive function of the patients was assessed by the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) Scale at 1day, 3 days, and 7days after surgery. POCD was considered when the scores were <27 points, and the remaining patients were included in the control group. A total of 104 elderly patients with esophageal cancer were included in this study, and 24 patients developed POCD, with an incidence of 23.1%. The expression of NLR and PLR in both 2 groups was increased on the 1st postoperative day compared with that before surgery. There was no significant difference in the expression of NLR and PLR between the 2 groups before operation, but the expression of both in the POCD group was significantly higher than that in the control group after operation (P