Mean platelet volume to lymphocyte ratio as a novel marker in patients with breast cancer who underwent curative resection
Hayriye Şahinli, Esra Zeynelgil, Sema Türker, Mustafa Altınbaş
Background: Platelets play an essential role in cancer progression and metastasis. Mean platelet volume (MPV) is considered to be an effective marker for platelet activation. There is a positive correlation between lymphopenia and cancer prognosis. This study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of MPV/lymphocyte ratio (MPVLR) in breast cancer patients undergoing curative resection. Methods: Data of 139 breast cancer patients who underwent curative resection between January 2013 and December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The chi-square test evaluated the relationship between MPVLR and clinicopathological variables. MPVLR was obtained by dividing MPV by lymphocyte count. The Kaplan–Meier log-rank test assessed the correlation between MPVLR and disease-free survival (DFS). Results: The median follow-up was 41 (13–66) months. The best predicted optimal cut-off value for MPVLR by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was 4.34 (sensitivity 0.556, specificity 0.727). Patients were categorized into two groups as high MPVLR (>4.34) and low MPVLR (<4.34). The DFS rate in the elevated MPVLR group was significantly lower than in the low MPVLR group (p = 0.038). Multivariate analysis was not performed because only MPVLR was found significant for DFS in univariate analysis. We found a significant correlation between MPVLR and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and MPV level. Conclusion: DFS was significantly shorter in patients with elevated MPVLR level. We believe that MPVLR can be used as a new prognostic marker in breast cancer patients undergoing curative resection.