Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an independent prognostic factor in the elderly patients with high-grade gliomas

Abstract Objective This study was performed to investigate the prognostic role of Preoperative neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in elderly patients with high-grade gliomas. Methods We collected elderly patients (≥65 years) diagnosed with high-grade glioma in our hospital from December 2014 to January 2018. Preoperative NLR were evaluated in univariate and multivariate models to examine their effect on overall survival. Results The study included 135 elderly patients (WHO grade III 22, grade IV 113) with a mean age 70.61±4.60 years. The mean ratio of NLR was 3.98 ± 3.28. The optimal cut-off point of NLR in predicting overall survival (OS) was 3. Sixty-five patients (48.1%) had a baseline NLR ≥ 3 and seventy patients (51.9%) with NLR 9 /L were significantly associated with overall survival. On multivariate analysis, tumor grade, EOR, adjuvant RT + TMZ, NLR ≥ 3 and lymphocyte count ≥ 1.6 × 10 9 /L were still associated with overall survival after excluded related parameters. Conclusions High NLR was an unfavorable predictor of prognosis for elderly patients with high-grade gliomas.