Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: impact of baseline fluctuation and changes during chemotherapy.

Aims And Background: Inflammation has been implicated in carcinogenesis and progression of pancreatic cancer. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is an index of systemic inflammation. We examined the prognostic role of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at baseline and the significance of intrapersonal variability of the ratio before and during chemotherapy.