The Prognostic Value of Platelet/Lymphocyte Ratio in Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis

Objective: Because cancer is associated with a systemic inflammatory response in which lymphocytes and platelets play an active role, the platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has been suggested as a prognostic marker; however, its relationship with breast cancer prognosis remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of PLR as a prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer.Methods: The medical records of patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 2006 and 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. PLR was calculated as the platelet count divided by the lymphocyte count using preoperative hemograms. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis did not identify a significant PLR cut-off value for overall or disease-free survival. Therefore, patients were divided into two groups according to the median PLR value (<median vs. ≥median; patients with a PLR value equal to the median were assigned to the high-PLR group). Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test.Results: A total of 518 patients were included, and the median PLR was 124. PLR had no significant effect on disease-free survival or overall survival (p>0.05). Similarly, PLR had no significant effect on survival within any of the molecular subtypes (p>0.05).Conclusion: In this retrospective single-center study, PLR dichotomized at the median value of 124 was not associated with overall or disease-free survival in patients with breast cancer in univariable analyses. Prospective multicenter studies with multivariable analyses are needed to clarify the prognostic value of PLR.