Prognostic Value of the Combined Index of Plasma Fibrinogen and the Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio in Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND

It has been reported that both fibrinogen and the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are related to the degree of malignancy in various types of cancer. This study compared the combined index of fibrinogen and NLR (F-NLR) with NLR alone for predicting the prognosis of patients with resectable gastric cancer.

METHODS

We collected data on 666 patients with resectable gastric cancer. Patients were divided into three F-NLR score groups based on the following criteria: score 2, both hyperfibrinogenemia (≥350 mg/dl) and high NLR (≥2.5); score 1, either hyperfibrinogenemia or high NLR; and score 0, neither abnormality. The association between prognosis and NLR alone or F-NLR was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

The high-NLR group had significantly worse overall survival (OS) than the low-NLR group (hazard ratio 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-2.45; log-rank P = 0.022), but there was no significant difference between the high- and low-NLR groups after adjusting for the fibrinogen level. F-NLR groups showed significantly different OS (log-rank P < 0.001) and recurrence-free survival (log-rank P < 0.001). The 5-year OS rate for the groups with F-NLR scores of 2, 1, and 0 was 72.6%, 81.4%, and 90.4%, respectively. A Cox multivariate analysis of OS revealed that a high F-NLR score (1 or 2) was an independent prognostic factor (P = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

F-NLR was an independent prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer and a more useful prognostic indicator than NLR alone.