The value of NLR in predicting the efficacy of preoperative nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for local advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objective To investigate the value of the peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) before nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in predicting the short-term efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy for advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods With the approval of the Ethics Committee and the informed consent of the patients, 59 patients with stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ OSCC who were admitted to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from September 2020 to June 2023 were enrolled. All the patients had complete clinical data, were pathologically diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, and received preoperative and received preoperative nimotuzumab + TP (docetaxel + cisplatin) neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The clinical data were analyzed, and the neutrophil and lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood were collected before and after nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The NLR was calculated, and the threshold value was calculated