Monocyte/granulocyte to lymphocyte ratio and the MELD score as predictors for early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after trans-arterial chemoembolization

Background: The first-line treatment option for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma is trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Blood indices, such as lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR), lymphocyte count, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-granulocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MGLR) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW), are prognostic biomarkers in certain diseases. The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores have been designed for patients with cirrhosis waiting for liver transplantation and in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. We hypothesized possible roles for these blood indices, and the MELD and CTP scores as predictors for early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after TACE. Methods: Routine laboratory indices determined the NLR, LMR, MGLR, RDW, PLR, as well as MELD and CTP scores in 147 patients. Sensitivity and specificity of the indices for hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence 36 months after TACE were estimated by receiver operator characteristic curve. Results: In multivariate regression analysis, only male sex, the lymphocyte count, CTP, the MGLR and the MELD score significantly (P