Predictive value of the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio in the diagnosis of prostate cancer

Abstract

It has been reported that inflammation and immune system are related to prostate cancer. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), as well as the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), have already been proposed as new indices to help diagnose prostate cancer (PCa). However, the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) with regard to PCa has rarely been mentioned. To investigate the capability of the MLR to predict PCa. Patients who were pathologically diagnosed with PCa in our hospital and healthy control subjects who conformed to the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Patient data were recorded, including age, complete blood counts, blood biochemistry, and serum prostatespecific antigen (PSA) levels. The differences in these data between the groups were analyzed and the diagnostic value of the MLR was compared with PSA. Our study included a total of 100 patients with PCa and 103 healthy control subjects. Patients with PCa presented with a significantly higher NLR, MLR, and PLR compared to control subjects. However, the hemoglobin and lymphocyte levels were lower (P