Clinical value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of prognosis of RetroNectin

To assess the impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) and explore the value of NLR as an indicator in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with RetroNectin -activated cytokine-induced killer (R-CIK) cells. Using data gathered from a single center between January 2010 and June 2015, 201 patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC receiving at least four cycles of R-CIK cell therapy were included. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations of NLR with TTP and OS. The pretreatment NLR was correlated with TTP and OS. Multivariate analysis showed that NLR was an independent factor for survival. NLR was an independent indicator to predict benefit from R-CIK-based combination therapy.