Objective: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is recognised as a suitable prognostic biomarker in patients with breast cancer. Nevertheless, the efficacy of this biomarker in predicting the pathological complete response (pCR) and survival in patients with breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is still controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to identify the association between baseline NLR and the prognosis of patients with breast cancer treated with NACT.

Design: Meta-analysis.

Data Sources: Relevant literature published before 1 May 2021 was searched using the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed and the Web of Science databases.

Eligibility Criteria: All studies involving patients with breast cancer treated with NACT and peripheral blood pretreatment NLR recorded as a dichotomous variable were included.

Data Extraction And Synthesis: Two researchers independently extracted and evaluated OR/HR and its 95% CIs of survival outcomes and clinicopathological parameters.

Results: A total of 19 studies were identified. From each study, the impact of NLR on the pCR, OR and HR, with their 95% CIs were extracted and combined using either a random or fixed-effects model. The results indicate that a higher pCR in patients with a low NLR (OR 1.620, 95% CI 1.209 to 2.169, p<0.001). In addition, an elevated NLR predicted lower disease-free survival (HR 2.269, 95% CI 1.557 to 3.307, p<0.001) and overall survival (HR 1.691, 95% CI 1.365 to 2.096, p<0.001) in patients with breast cancer treated with NACT.

Conclusions: NLR is a suitable biomarker for predicting pCR and survival in patients with breast cancer receiving NACT.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8475153PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047957DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

patients breast
20
breast cancer
20
neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio
8
prognostic biomarker
8
biomarker patients
8
cancer receiving
8
receiving neoadjuvant
8
neoadjuvant chemotherapy
8
cancer treated
8
95% cis
8

Similar Publications

In 2023, a breast cancer risk assessment and a subsequent positive test for the BRCA-2 genetic mutation brought me to the uncomfortable intersection of a longstanding career as an advocate for high-quality medical evidence to support shared patient-provider decision making and a new role as a high-risk patient. My search for studies of available risk-management options revealed that the most commonly recommended approach for women with a ⩾20% lifetime breast cancer risk, intensive screening including annual mammography and/or magnetic resonance imaging beginning at age 25-40 years, was supported only by cancer-detection statistics, with almost no evidence on patient-centered outcomes-mortality, physical and psychological morbidity, or quality of life-compared with standard screening or a surgical alternative, bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy. In this commentary, I explore parallels between the use of the intensive screening protocol and another longstanding women's health recommendation based on limited evidence, the use of hormone therapy (HT) for postmenopausal chronic disease prevention, which was sharply curtailed after the publication of the groundbreaking Women's Health Initiative trial in 2002.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Breast Cancer Patients' Experiences of Coping With Financial Toxicity: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.

Psychooncology

January 2025

The Department of Breast Medicine, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, China.

Objective: Breast cancer patients often face a significant financial burden, leading to financial toxicity due to the necessity for long-term care, costly treatment, and follow-up measures. The purpose of this study is to systematically review the available qualitative evidence on how breast cancer patients cope with financial toxicity and their unmet need to promote the implementation of effective intervention strategies.

Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, CNKI, Wan Fang Data, and VIP databases were systematically searched for literature related to the study topic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tamoxifen (TAM) is employed to treat premenopausal ER-positive breast cancer patients, but TAM resistance is the main reason affecting its efficacy. Thus, addressing TAM resistance is crucial for improving therapeutic outcomes. This study explored the potential role of Tinagl1, a secreted extracellular matrix protein, whose expression is compromised in TAM-resistant MCF-7 breast cancer cells (MCF-7R).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Single-Injection Composite Tracer Achieves Intraoperative Dual-Tracing and Precise Localization of Sentinel Lymph Nodes.

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces

January 2025

Sixth People's Hospital, School of Medicine & School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P. R. China.

The use of dual-tracer contrast agents in clinical applications, such as sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification, offers significant advantages including enhanced accuracy, sensitivity, as well as comprehensive and multimodal visualization. In the current clinical practice, SLNs are typically marked prior to surgical resection by multiple and sequential injections of two tracers, the radioactive tracer and methylene blue (MB) dye. This imposes physical and psychological burden on patients and medical staff.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Breast cancer is a frequently diagnosed malignant disease and the primary cause of mortality among women with cancer worldwide. The therapy options are influenced by the molecular subtype due to the intricate nature of the condition, which consists of various subtypes. By focusing on the activation of receptors, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase can be utilized as an effective drug target for therapeutic purposes of breast cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!