Pretreatment assessment of hematologic and inflammatory markers in adenoid cystic carcinoma: neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio is associated with multiple recurrences

Abstract Objective Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare entity of salivary gland cancer. Inflammatory and hematologic markers and their prognostic and predictive value have been intensively studied in several cancer entities. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of such markers in patients with ACC. Study design This retrospective analysis investigated hematologic and inflammatory markers in patients with ACC in the period between the years 1996 and 2016. We assessed the preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels. A total of 28-31 patients were included depending on the examined parameter. All markers were evaluated for their effects on outcome and prognostic value. Results Patients with an elevated preoperative NLR (>2) had a significantly higher multiple recurrence rate (44.4% vs. 8.3%; p=0.047). Other hematologic markers showed no significant effects on outcome. Conclusions This study shows, that NLR may serve as a useful prognosticator for a high risk of multiple recurrences in ACC patients.