Prognostic Impact of Lymphocyte-to-C-Reactive Protein Ratio in Patients Who Underwent Surgical Resection for Pancreatic Cancer

Background Increasing evidence indicates that increased systemic inflammation is correlated with poorer cancer-specific survival in various cancer types. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of various combinations of inflammatory factors in patients who underwent surgical resection for pancreatic cancer (PC). Methods We retrospectively analyzed 97 consecutive patients with PC who underwent pancreatectomy. We assessed the predictive impact for recurrence using a combination of 5 inflammatory markers and focused on the lymphocyte-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) to elucidate its prognostic and predictive value for recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in univariate and multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results Low preoperative LCR was correlated with low serum hemoglobin, low serum albumin concentration, high frequency of microscopic vascular invasion, and high frequency of microscopic perineural invasion. The low LCR group had significantly worse RFS and OS. Lower preoperative LCR was an independent predictor of shorter RFS and OS in this cohort. Discussion Preoperative LCR is a novel and convenient prognostic marker for patients with PC. Patients with low LCR may require more favorable intensive therapy.