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Palyatif hastalarda nötrofil-lenfosit oranı ve sağ kalım: ölüm gününü tahmin edebilir miyiz?

Year 2025, Volume: 6 Issue: 6, 767 - 773, 27.12.2025

Abstract

Amaç:
Bu çalışma, enfeksiyon bulgusu olmayan palyatif bakım hastalarında nötrofil/lenfosit oranının (NLR) kısa dönem (30 gün) ve uzun dönem (1 yıl) mortaliteyle ilişkisini değerlendirmeyi; NLR ile ölüm zamanı arasındaki korelasyonu incelemeyi ve NLR’nin yaş, fonksiyonel durum ve beslenme riskinden bağımsız olarak kısa dönem mortaliteyi öngörüp öngörmediğini belirlemeyi amaçlamıştır.
Gereç ve Yöntem:
1 Ocak 2019 – 1 Ocak 2021 tarihleri arasında yatırılan hastaların tıbbi kayıtları retrospektif olarak incelendi. Klinik veya laboratuvar olarak enfeksiyon bulgusu olan ya da immünosüpresif tedavi alan hastalar dışlanarak toplam 335 hasta dahil edildi. Demografik veriler, tanılar, laboratuvar parametreleri, ECOG performans skorları ve NRS-2002 kaydedildi. NLR, yatışta alınan kan örneklerinden hesaplandı. Grup karşılaştırmalarında Mann–Whitney U, korelasyon analizlerinde Spearman kullanıldı; 30 günlük mortaliteyi öngören bağımsız değişkenler, yaş, NLR, ECOG ve NRS-2002’yi içeren çok değişkenli lojistik regresyon modeliyle değerlendirildi. ROC analizi ile AUC ve optimal kesim değeri hesaplandı.
Bulgular:
Ortalama yaş 72,3 ± 15,2 yıl olup hastaların %54,9’u erkekti; %40,8’inde malignite mevcuttu. İlk 30 gün içinde eksitus olanlarda NLR belirgin derecede yüksekti (median 9,33 vs. 4,00; p=0,001). Benzer şekilde 1 yıllık mortalitede de NLR yüksek saptandı (median 6,78 vs. 4,01; p=0,001). İlk 30 gün içinde ölenlerde NLR ile ölüm günü arasında pozitif korelasyon izlendi (ρ=0,316; p=0,0016). Çok değişkenli analizde NLR, 30 günlük mortalitenin bağımsız belirleyicisi olarak bulundu (OR=1,18; %95 GA: 1,12–1,25; p<0,001). ROC analizinde ise NLR’nin ayırt edici performansı kabul edilebilir düzeydeydi (AUC=0,731; cut-off ≥9,05).
Sonuç:
NLR, yaş, fonksiyonel durum ve beslenme riskinden bağımsız olarak mortalite ve ölüm zamanıyla ilişkili basit ve maliyeti düşük bir biyomarker olup, palyatif bakımda klinik karar verme süreçlerine katkı sağlayabilir.

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma, Sancaktepe Şehit Prof. Dr. İlhan Varank Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Etik Kurulu tarafından onaylanmıştır (Onay No: 2021/237, Tarih: 17/11/2021).

Supporting Institution

yok

Thanks

Yazar, bu çalışmanın tasarımı ve yorumlanması süresince değerli mentorluk ve rehberliği için Prof. Dr. Umut Safer’e teşekkür ederiz.

References

  • World Health Organization. Palliative care. World Health Organization website. Published 2020. Accessed September 21, 2025. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care
  • Harrison KL, Kotwal AA, Smith AK. Palliative care for patients with noncancer illnesses. JAMA. 2020;324(14):1404-1405. doi:10.1001/jama. 2020.15075
  • Cunha GDC, Rosa KSDC, Wiegert EVM, de Oliveira LC. Clinical relevance and prognostic value of inflammatory biomarkers: a prospective study in terminal cancer patients receiving palliative care. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2021;62(5):978-986. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman. 2021.04.009
  • Puhr HC, Weirauch CC, Selimi F, et al. Systemic inflammatory biomarkers as prognostic tools in patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2023;149(19):17081-17091. doi:10.1007/s00432-023-05424-4
  • Mandaliya H, Jones M, Oldmeadow C, Nordman II. Prognostic biomarkers in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI). Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2019;8(6):886-894. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2019.11.16
  • Liu D, Heij LR, Czigany Z, et al. The prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in cholangiocarcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):12691. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-16727-w
  • Zhao Y, Wang Y, Jiang Y, Yang J, Zhang Y. The prognostic impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio on patients with small cell lung cancer receiving first-line platinum-based chemotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pulm Med. 2024;24(1):630. doi:10.1186/s12890-024-03447-2
  • Yin Y, Wang J, Wang X, et al. Prognostic value of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in lung cancer: a meta-analysis. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2015;70(7):524-530. doi:10.6061/clinics/2015(07)10
  • Fulop T, Larbi A, Pawelec G, et al. Immunology of aging: the birth of inflammaging. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2023;64(2):109-122. doi:10. 1007/s12016-021-08899-6
  • Templeton AJ, McNamara MG, Šeruga B, et al. Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in solid tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014;106(6):dju124. doi:10.1093/jnci/dju124
  • Zhao W, Wu Z, Li Y, et al. Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and its dynamic changes are associated with the overall survival in advanced cancer patients undergoing palliative care. Sci Rep. 2016;6: 31394. doi:10.1038/srep31394
  • Rottier P, Emile G, Johnson A, et al. Pretreatment neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as prognostic factor in metastatic breast cancer treated with cyclin dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors. Front Oncol. 2023;12: 1105587. doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.1105587
  • Koyama N, Matsumura C, Shitashimizu Y, et al. The role of EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL scores and inflammatory biomarkers in predicting survival in terminally ill patients with cancer. BMC Cancer. 2021;21(1):304. doi:10. 1186/s12885-021-08049-3
  • Di Rosa M, Sabbatinelli J, Soraci L, et al. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) predicts mortality in hospitalized geriatric patients independent of the admission diagnosis: a multicenter prospective cohort study. J Transl Med. 2023;21(1):835. doi:10.1186/s12967-023-04717-z
  • Chu C, White N, Stone P. Prognostication in palliative care. Clin Med (Lond). 2019;19(4):306-310. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.19-4-306
  • Gebresillassie BM, Attia JR, Mersha AG, Harris ML. Prognostic models and factors identifying end-of-life in non-cancer chronic diseases: a systematic review. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2024;14(e3):e2316-e2329. doi:10.1136/spcare-2023-004656
  • Isaac V, Wu CY, Huang CT, Baune BT, Tseng CL, McLachlan CS. Elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio predicts mortality in medical inpatients with multiple chronic conditions. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016; 95(23):e3832. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000003832
  • Hwang SY, Shin TG, Jo IJ, et al. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic marker in critically-ill septic patients. Am J Emerg Med. 2017;35(2):234-239. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2016.10.055
  • de Jager CP, van Wijk PT, Mathoera RB, de Jongh-Leuvenink J, van der Poll T, Wever PC. Lymphocytopenia and neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio predict bacteremia better than conventional infection markers in an emergency care unit. Crit Care. 2010;14(5):R192. doi:10.1186/cc9309
  • Rudiger A, Singer M. Mechanisms of sepsis-induced cardiac dysfunction. Crit Care Med. 2007;35(6):1599-1608. doi:10.1097/01.CCM. 0000266683.64081.02
  • Mohammadi A, Mohammadi M, Almasi-Dooghaee M, Mirmosayyeb O. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2024;19(6):e0305322. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0305322
  • McMillan DC. Systemic inflammation, nutritional status and survival in patients with cancer. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009;12(3):223-226. doi:10.1097/MCO.0b013e32832a7902
  • Lian J, Yue Y, Yu W, et al. Immunosenescence: a key player in cancer development. J Hematol Oncol. 2020;13(1):151. doi:10.1186/s13045-020-00986-z
  • Coutinho AE, Chapman KE. The anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects of glucocorticoids, recent developments and mechanistic insights. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2011;335(1):2-13. doi:10.1016/ j.mce.2010.04.005
  • Forget P, Khalifa C, Defour JP, Latinne D, Van Pel MC, De Kock M. What is the normal value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio? BMC Res Notes. 2017;10(1):12. doi:10.1186/s13104-016-2335-5
  • Prabawa IPY, Bhargah A, Liwang F, et al. Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) as a predictive value of hematological markers in cervical cancer. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2019;20(3):863-868. doi:10.31557/APJCP.2019.20.3.863
  • Toyokawa T, Kubo N, Tamura T, et al. The pretreatment Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is an independent prognostic factor in patients with resectable thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: results from a retrospective study. BMC Cancer. 2016;16(1): 722. doi:10.1186/s12885-016-2696-0
  • Abravan A, Salem A, Price G, Faivre-Finn C, van Herk M. Effect of systemic inflammation biomarkers on overall survival after lung cancer radiotherapy: a single-center large-cohort study. Acta Oncol. 2022;61(2): 163-171. doi:10.1080/0284186X.2021.2022201
  • Lee H, Kim I, Kang BH, Um SJ. Prognostic value of serial neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio measurements in hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia. PLoS One. 2021;16(4):e0250067. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0250067
  • Westerdijk K, Simons KS, Zegers M, Wever PC, Pickkers P, de Jager CPC. The value of the neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio in the diagnosis of sepsis in patients admitted to the intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study. PLoS One. 2019;14(2):e0212861. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212861
  • Buonacera A, Stancanelli B, Colaci M, Malatino L. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio: an emerging marker of the relationships between the immune system and diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(7):3636. doi:10.3390/ijms23073636

Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and survival in palliative patients: can we predict the day of death?

Year 2025, Volume: 6 Issue: 6, 767 - 773, 27.12.2025

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and short-term (30-day) and long-term (1-year) mortality in palliative inpatients without evidence of infection; to assess the correlation between NLR and time to death; and to determine whether NLR predicts short-term mortality independent of age, functional status, and nutritional risk.
Methods: Medical records of patients admitted between January 1, 2019 and January 1, 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with clinical or laboratory evidence of infection or receiving immunosuppressive therapy were excluded, yielding 335 patients. Demographics, diagnoses, laboratory values, ECOG scores, and NRS-2002 were recorded. NLR was calculated from admission blood counts. Group comparisons used Mann–Whitney U, correlations used Spearman, and predictors of 30-day mortality were tested with multivariate logistic regression including age, NLR, ECOG, and NRS-2002; ROC analysis provided AUC and optimal cut-off.
Results: Mean age was 72.3±15.2 years; 54.9% were male; 40.8% had malignancy. NLR was higher in those dying within 30 days (median 9.33 vs. 4.00; p=0.001) and 1-year (median 6.78 vs. 4.01; p=0.001), and correlated with day of death at 30 days (ρ=0.316; p=0.0016). Multivariate analysis identified NLR as an independent predictor of 30-day mortality (OR=1.18; 95% CI: 1.12–1.25; p<0.001), and ROC analysis demonstrated acceptable discriminative performance (AUC=0.731; cut-off ≥9.05).
Conclusion: NLR is a simple and inexpensive biomarker associated with mortality and death timing independent of age, functional status, and nutritional risk, and may assist clinical decision-making in palliative care.

Ethical Statement

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Sancaktepe Şehit Prof. Dr. İlhan Varank Training and Research Hospital (Approval No: 2021/237, Date: 17/11/2021).

Supporting Institution

This study received no financial support from any funding agency or commercial sector.

Thanks

The authors wishes to thank Prof. Dr. Umut Safer for valuable mentorship and guidance throughout the design and interpretation of this study.

References

  • World Health Organization. Palliative care. World Health Organization website. Published 2020. Accessed September 21, 2025. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care
  • Harrison KL, Kotwal AA, Smith AK. Palliative care for patients with noncancer illnesses. JAMA. 2020;324(14):1404-1405. doi:10.1001/jama. 2020.15075
  • Cunha GDC, Rosa KSDC, Wiegert EVM, de Oliveira LC. Clinical relevance and prognostic value of inflammatory biomarkers: a prospective study in terminal cancer patients receiving palliative care. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2021;62(5):978-986. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman. 2021.04.009
  • Puhr HC, Weirauch CC, Selimi F, et al. Systemic inflammatory biomarkers as prognostic tools in patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2023;149(19):17081-17091. doi:10.1007/s00432-023-05424-4
  • Mandaliya H, Jones M, Oldmeadow C, Nordman II. Prognostic biomarkers in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI). Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2019;8(6):886-894. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2019.11.16
  • Liu D, Heij LR, Czigany Z, et al. The prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in cholangiocarcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):12691. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-16727-w
  • Zhao Y, Wang Y, Jiang Y, Yang J, Zhang Y. The prognostic impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio on patients with small cell lung cancer receiving first-line platinum-based chemotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pulm Med. 2024;24(1):630. doi:10.1186/s12890-024-03447-2
  • Yin Y, Wang J, Wang X, et al. Prognostic value of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in lung cancer: a meta-analysis. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2015;70(7):524-530. doi:10.6061/clinics/2015(07)10
  • Fulop T, Larbi A, Pawelec G, et al. Immunology of aging: the birth of inflammaging. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2023;64(2):109-122. doi:10. 1007/s12016-021-08899-6
  • Templeton AJ, McNamara MG, Šeruga B, et al. Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in solid tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014;106(6):dju124. doi:10.1093/jnci/dju124
  • Zhao W, Wu Z, Li Y, et al. Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and its dynamic changes are associated with the overall survival in advanced cancer patients undergoing palliative care. Sci Rep. 2016;6: 31394. doi:10.1038/srep31394
  • Rottier P, Emile G, Johnson A, et al. Pretreatment neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as prognostic factor in metastatic breast cancer treated with cyclin dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors. Front Oncol. 2023;12: 1105587. doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.1105587
  • Koyama N, Matsumura C, Shitashimizu Y, et al. The role of EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL scores and inflammatory biomarkers in predicting survival in terminally ill patients with cancer. BMC Cancer. 2021;21(1):304. doi:10. 1186/s12885-021-08049-3
  • Di Rosa M, Sabbatinelli J, Soraci L, et al. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) predicts mortality in hospitalized geriatric patients independent of the admission diagnosis: a multicenter prospective cohort study. J Transl Med. 2023;21(1):835. doi:10.1186/s12967-023-04717-z
  • Chu C, White N, Stone P. Prognostication in palliative care. Clin Med (Lond). 2019;19(4):306-310. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.19-4-306
  • Gebresillassie BM, Attia JR, Mersha AG, Harris ML. Prognostic models and factors identifying end-of-life in non-cancer chronic diseases: a systematic review. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2024;14(e3):e2316-e2329. doi:10.1136/spcare-2023-004656
  • Isaac V, Wu CY, Huang CT, Baune BT, Tseng CL, McLachlan CS. Elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio predicts mortality in medical inpatients with multiple chronic conditions. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016; 95(23):e3832. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000003832
  • Hwang SY, Shin TG, Jo IJ, et al. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic marker in critically-ill septic patients. Am J Emerg Med. 2017;35(2):234-239. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2016.10.055
  • de Jager CP, van Wijk PT, Mathoera RB, de Jongh-Leuvenink J, van der Poll T, Wever PC. Lymphocytopenia and neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio predict bacteremia better than conventional infection markers in an emergency care unit. Crit Care. 2010;14(5):R192. doi:10.1186/cc9309
  • Rudiger A, Singer M. Mechanisms of sepsis-induced cardiac dysfunction. Crit Care Med. 2007;35(6):1599-1608. doi:10.1097/01.CCM. 0000266683.64081.02
  • Mohammadi A, Mohammadi M, Almasi-Dooghaee M, Mirmosayyeb O. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2024;19(6):e0305322. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0305322
  • McMillan DC. Systemic inflammation, nutritional status and survival in patients with cancer. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009;12(3):223-226. doi:10.1097/MCO.0b013e32832a7902
  • Lian J, Yue Y, Yu W, et al. Immunosenescence: a key player in cancer development. J Hematol Oncol. 2020;13(1):151. doi:10.1186/s13045-020-00986-z
  • Coutinho AE, Chapman KE. The anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects of glucocorticoids, recent developments and mechanistic insights. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2011;335(1):2-13. doi:10.1016/ j.mce.2010.04.005
  • Forget P, Khalifa C, Defour JP, Latinne D, Van Pel MC, De Kock M. What is the normal value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio? BMC Res Notes. 2017;10(1):12. doi:10.1186/s13104-016-2335-5
  • Prabawa IPY, Bhargah A, Liwang F, et al. Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) as a predictive value of hematological markers in cervical cancer. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2019;20(3):863-868. doi:10.31557/APJCP.2019.20.3.863
  • Toyokawa T, Kubo N, Tamura T, et al. The pretreatment Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is an independent prognostic factor in patients with resectable thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: results from a retrospective study. BMC Cancer. 2016;16(1): 722. doi:10.1186/s12885-016-2696-0
  • Abravan A, Salem A, Price G, Faivre-Finn C, van Herk M. Effect of systemic inflammation biomarkers on overall survival after lung cancer radiotherapy: a single-center large-cohort study. Acta Oncol. 2022;61(2): 163-171. doi:10.1080/0284186X.2021.2022201
  • Lee H, Kim I, Kang BH, Um SJ. Prognostic value of serial neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio measurements in hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia. PLoS One. 2021;16(4):e0250067. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0250067
  • Westerdijk K, Simons KS, Zegers M, Wever PC, Pickkers P, de Jager CPC. The value of the neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio in the diagnosis of sepsis in patients admitted to the intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study. PLoS One. 2019;14(2):e0212861. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212861
  • Buonacera A, Stancanelli B, Colaci M, Malatino L. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio: an emerging marker of the relationships between the immune system and diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(7):3636. doi:10.3390/ijms23073636
There are 31 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Palliative Care
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

İrem Kıraç Utku 0000-0003-3806-5291

Hanişe Özkan Sonay 0000-0001-6416-0183

Submission Date November 4, 2025
Acceptance Date December 21, 2025
Publication Date December 27, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Volume: 6 Issue: 6

Cite

AMA Kıraç Utku İ, Özkan Sonay H. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and survival in palliative patients: can we predict the day of death? J Med Palliat Care / JOMPAC / jompac. December 2025;6(6):767-773.

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