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The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio as a prognostic indicator in head and neck cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the relationship between the pre-treatment lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and prognosis in HNC.

Methods

PubMed (via the Web), Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched. A systematic review and meta-analysis was done to generate the pooled hazard ratios (HR) for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).

Results

Our analysis included the results of 4260 patients in seven cohorts. The pooled data demonstrated that an elevated LMR was associated with significantly improved OS (HR 0.5; 95% CI 0.44–0.57), and DFS (HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.62–0.80). Of note, there was no detectable heterogeneity in either OS (I2 = 0%) or DFS (I2 = 0%).

Conclusions

An elevated LMR may be an indicator of favorable prognosis in HNC. However, our results should be interpreted with some degree of caution due to the retrospective nature of cohort studies. Further research with high-quality prospective studies is needed to confirm the effect of LMR in HNC prognosis.

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Funding

No funding was received for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York Head and Neck Institute, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, 130 East 77th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY, 10075, USA

    Tristan Tham, Caitlin Olson, Julian Khaymovich & Peter David Costantino

  2. Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, New York, USA

    Saori Wendy Herman

Authors
  1. Tristan Tham
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  2. Caitlin Olson
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  3. Julian Khaymovich
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  4. Saori Wendy Herman
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  5. Peter David Costantino
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tristan Tham.

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Tham, T., Olson, C., Khaymovich, J. et al. The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio as a prognostic indicator in head and neck cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 275, 1663–1670 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-018-4972-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-018-4972-x

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