Are Inflammation Markers Derived from Hemogram Parameters Predictive for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Patients?

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are two endocrine disorders, and chronic inflammation plays a key role in their pathogeneses. Recent studies have shown that some inflammation markers derived from hemogram parameters such as neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) are helpful in showing inflammation in many autoimmune diseases and cancers. We aimed to investigate how the coexistence of HT and PTC will affect the inflammation markers derived from hemogram parameters. Eighty PTC patients with coexisting HT (Group 1) and PTC and 80 HT patients without PTC (Group 2) were selected. Hemogram parameters, thyroid function tests, and thyroid autoantibodies of the patients were analyzed. Relevant inflammatory markers were calculated, and the results were statistically analyzed. NLR, PLR, and SII values were found to be significantly higher in Group 1 (p = 0.032, p = 0.005, and p = 0.002, respectively) compared to Group 2. ROC curve analysis revealed the most appropriate cut-off point for NLR to be 495.34, for PLR to be 1.77, and for SII to be 115.99. NLR, PLR, and SII levels have been shown to be sensitive in predicting the development of PTC in HT patients.