Blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios are independent prognostic factors for surgically resected gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Background Recent studies have demonstrated that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are prognostic for various malignancies; however, there are limited data to date demonstrating their usefulness for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). The aim of this study was to determine whether NLR and PLR are prognostic for GIST. Methods Three hundred patients who underwent operative resection for primary localized GIST with preoperative results for neutrophil, platelet, and lymphocyte counts available were retrospectively reviewed. Optimal cutoff values for high NLR (≥3.0) and PLR (≥275) in predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) were determined. Prognostic factors of RFS were determined using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses for the 266 patients who did not receive adjuvant imatinib. Results On univariate analyses, tumor size, mitotic count, location, and both a high NLR and PLR were significant prognostic indicators of decreased RFS (hazard ratio [HR], 2.89 [95% CI; 1.609–5.179 P Conclusion High NLR and PLR were independent prognostic factors of RFS in GIST. NLR and PLR would be useful as a preoperative prognostic tool and its incorporation into current prognostication systems improved their accuracy.