High platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts improved survival outcome for perioperative NSAID use in patients with rectal cancer

Purpose Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been shown to block tumor-associated inflammation in rectal cancer. However, the perioperative use of NSAIDs remains controversial. This study was designed to investigate whether the perioperative use of NSAIDs influences outcomes and to provide a predictive marker to identify patients who would benefit from NSAIDs. Methods We enrolled 515 patients with stage I to III rectal cancer in this retrospective study. Patients were classified into the NSAID and non-NSAID groups according to their perioperative use of NSAIDs. The whole cohort was stratified by platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). The primary endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results The NSAID group had a 12.6% lower risk of recurrence than the non-NSAID group ( P = 0.015), while the association with survival was nonsignificant. In the high-PLR subset, the NSAID group had a 17.3% lower risk of recurrence ( P = 0.003) and a better DFS ( P = 0.033) outcome than the non-NSAID group. Multivariate analysis confirmed this independent significant association with DFS ( P = 0.023). In the low-PLR subset, the association of NSAID use with survival was nonsignificant. Conclusion Perioperative use of NSAIDs was associated with improved survival outcomes in rectal cancer patients with high PLR.