Comparative Analysis of Inflammatory Biomarkers and Lymphocyte Levels in Breast Cancer Patients and Healthy Controls

Abstract Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignancies among women worldwide, with approximately 2.3 million new cases and 685,000 deaths reported in 2020. Inflammation-related hematologic parameters—such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR)—have been proposed as potential biomarkers for cancer progression. However, data on their association with breast cancer in North Macedonia are limited. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate NLR, PLR, and LMR in patients with breast cancer compared to healthy controls, to explore their potential as inflammatory biomarkers for early detection. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in 2025 at the Department of Medical Biochemistry, Clinical Hospital "Dr. Trifun Panovski" in Bitola. Sixty-two women were enrolled -31 with histologically confirmed breast cancer and 31 age-matched healthy controls. Hematological parameters were measured using a Sysmex XP-300 hematology analyzer. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v13.0. Results: The mean lymphocyte count was significantly higher in breast cancer patients compared to controls (p = 0.041). No statistically significant differences were found in PLR (p = 0.087), NLR (p = 0.477), or LMR (p = 0.141) between groups. Hemoglobin levels were significantly lower in the breast cancer group (p = 0.001). Conclusion: While lymphocyte levels and hemoglobin were significantly altered in breast cancer patients, our results did not support NLR, PLR, or LMR as standalone markers for early breast cancer detection in this population. Further large-scale studies are needed to validate these findings.