Blood neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio predicts survival in locally advanced cancer stomach treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy FOLFOX 4

Accurate predictors of survival for patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy are currently lacking. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with stage III–IV gastric cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy FOLFOX 4 as neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We enrolled 70 patients with stage III–IV cancer stomach in this study. Patients received FOLFOX 4 as neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Blood sample was collected before chemotherapy. The NLR was divided into two groups: high (>3) and low (≤3). Univariate analysis on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was performed using the Kaplan–Meier and log-rank tests, and multivariate analysis was conducted using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The toxicity was evaluated according to National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria. The univariate analysis showed that PFS and OS were both worse for patients with high NLR than for those with low NLR before chemotherapy (median PFS 28 and 44 months, respectively, P = 0.001; median OS 30 and 48 months, P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that NLRs before chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors of OS but not for progression-free survival. NLR may serve as a potential biomarker for survival prognosis in patients with stage III–IV gastric cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The FOLFOX 4 demonstrated an acceptable toxicity.