Lactate Dehydrogenase-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Represents a Powerful Prognostic Tool of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Treated with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

Inflammation parameters were verified to predict clinical outcomes of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Here, we developed a novel marker, lactate dehydrogenase (tumor burden marker) to lymphocytes (inflammation marker) ratio (LLR), aimed to reveal the prognostic role of LLR for mRCC patients treated with TKIs. We collected clinical data of mRCC patients treated with TKIs. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to determine the optimal cut-off value. The c-index method was used to determine the best predictive marker for overall survival (OS). Clinicopathological characteristics on OS and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated by univariate analysis, and multivariate analyses. LLR provided the greatest improvement in the c-index, and displayed the best marker of the prognostic accuracy for OS. Univariate analysis revealed that LLR, ECOG PS and IMDC risks were significant predictors of OS and PFS. However, multivariate analysis indicated that IMDC risks failed to predict PFS, and only showed predictor of OS. We finally stratifed patients into low LLR (<150) and high LLR (≥150) group with different clinical outcomes. LLR represents a powerful prognostic tool of clinical outcome in mRCC patients treated with TKIs.