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Background: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) may be useful for drawing conclusions about the survival of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. Methods: Clinical data of 156 patients managed for HNSCC at two head and neck surgery centres were analyzed retrospectively. We studied the relationships between survival and PLR as well as NLR. Results: With regards to 5-year survival, the difference between the two groups with PLR values lower or higher than the threshold was statistically significant (p = 0.004), and we found the same for disease-free survival (p = 0.05), and tumour-specific mortality (p = 0.009). Concerning NLR, the difference in tumour-specific survival was statistically significant (p = 0.006). According to the multivariate analysis, NLR values higher than the threshold indicated an enhanced risk for overall as well as for tumour-specific mortality. Conclusion: In HNSCC patients, a high NLR may be considered as an independent risk factor for 5-year overall survival.Malignant tumours influence the number of platelets and alter their functioning. However, the mechanisms of the relationship between thrombocytosis and the tumour have not yet been fully elucidated and several hypotheses have been proposed [2].The facilitatory role of chronic inflammation in the development and progression of solid tumours have been described for malignancies of the lung, breast, and gastrointestinal tract, the prostate, and the ovaries [3-7], as well as for HNSCC [8,9].Neutrophils might, in fact, facilitate tumour growth and the formation of metastases-these cells can inhibit the activities of the lymphocytes and thereby attenuate the antitumour immune response [10]. Neutrophil cells can contribute to carcinogenesis and tumour progression in many ways [11]: (1) These cells can release genotoxic substances, which damage the DNA of epithelial cells [12]. (2) They can promote tumour growth by releasing soluble factors and proteases, such as prostaglandin E2 and neutrophil elastase [13,14]. (3) Neutrophils facilitate metastasis formation by enhancing the capabilities of the tumour cells for migration, invasive spread, and colony formation, as well as by breaking down the extracellular matrix [15]. (4) They contribute to the formation of new blood vessels by producing pro-angiogenic factors, such as matrix metalloproteinase-9, and vascular endothelial growth factor [16]. (5) Neutrophils exert immunosuppressive action by inhibiting effector T-cells along with the proliferation and the functioning of natural killer cells, as well the fact that they enhance tumour growth and metastasis formation through the modulation of macrophage activity [17].These observations suggest that neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) determined in the blood of patients with a malignancy might be related to tumour growth [18].Our study intended to ascertain whether pre-treatment NLR and PLR values determined in HNSCC patients are suitable predi...

Introduction Several reports have stated that thrombocytosis is associated with worse survival and higher rate of metastasis in solid tumours. A study in ovarian tumours implicated IL-6 produced by tumour cells as a key mechanistic factor. Aim To evaluate the relevance of this paraneoplastic pathway in gastrointestinal cancer. Material and methods After excluding thromboembolic and inflammatory disorders, 161 patients were enrolled who had been operated due to various gastrointestinal cancer at the 1 st Department of Surgery at the Semmelweis University between 2015 and 2017. Platelet counts and serum IL-6 levels were determined from preoperative blood samples. Thrombocytosis was defined as the upper limit of normal platelet count, e.g. 400 × 10 3 /µl. Results A weak but significantly positive correlation was found between elevated platelet counts and serum IL-6 (correlation coefficient: R = 0.214, p = 0.006), which became more pronounced in colon and oesophageal cancer if evaluated in the different tumour types ( R = 0.292 and R = 0.419, respectively). However, using a multivariant linear regression model ( R 2 = 0.47) corrected with haemoglobin, white blood cell count, and advanced disease stage, the analysis showed no significant correlation between serum IL-6 and platelet counts. Conclusions In gastrointestinal cancer our study did not support the paracrine-mediated paraneoplastic pathway described in ovarian tumors. Thrombocytosis showed significant correlation with white blood cells instead of serum IL-6, which implies that the inflammatory process may influence both parameters. Further studies are needed on larger patient cohorts.

Purpose A number of studies have confirmed that elevated platelet count accompanying various solid tumours is associated with worse survival. However, only meagre data are available on the relationship between thrombocytosis and survival in prostate cancer. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis on clinical-pathological data accumulated from 316 patients during on average 51 months of follow-up after laparoscopic prostatectomy performed for prostate cancer. We analyzed the relationship between platelet count, risk factors, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and cancer stage with use the Tumor, Node, Metastase system (TNM), as well as surgical margin, and prognosis. Results Thrombocytosis occurred in only one out of the 316 patients. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard model showed that preoperative PSA, risk group, preoperative haemoglobin level, and surgical margin status were significant, independent predictors of biochemical progression-free survival. By contrast, age at diagnosis and thrombocytosis had no such predictive value. Conclusion We could not demonstrate an association between elevated platelet count and worse survival in our study population of patients with prostate cancer.