Prognostic role of platelet to lymphocyte ratio in esophageal cancer: A meta-analysis

// Qing-Tao Zhao 1, * , Xiao-Peng Zhang 1, * , Hua Zhang 1, * and Guo-Chen Duan 1 1 Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei, PR China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Guo-Chen Duan, email: hbghospital@163.com Keywords: platelet to lymphocyte ratio; esophageal cancer; prognosis; meta-analysis Received: June 06, 2017     Accepted: October 28, 2017     Published: November 20, 2017 ABSTRACT Purpose: The prognostic role of inflammation index like platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in esophageal cancer remains controversial. We evaluated the prognostic significance of PLR in esophageal cancer patients. Methods: We searched databases to identify relevant literatures. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic value of PLR in patients with esophageal cancer. Results: A total of 6,699 patients from 16 studies (17 cohorts) were finally enrolled in the meta-analysis. The results demonstrate that the elevated PLR predicted poorer overall survival (OS) (HR: 1.389, 95% CI: 1.161-1.663) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR: 1.404, 95% CI: 1.169-1.687) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR: 1.686, 95% CI: 1.146-2.480) in patients with esophageal cancer. Subgroup analysis revealed that the elevated PLR was also associated with poor OS in esophageal cancer treated by surgery (HR: 1.492, 95%CI: 1.149-1.938, P 160 (HR: 1.391, 95%CI: 1.161-1.666, P<0.05). Conclusion: This meta-analysis result suggested that PLR might be a significant predicative biomarker of poor prognosis for esophageal cancer patients.