AUTHOR=Ocaña Alberto , Chacón Jose Ignacio , Calvo Lourdes , Antón Antonio , Mansutti Mauro , Albanell Joan , Martínez María Teresa , Lahuerta Ainhara , Bisagni Giancarlo , Bermejo Begoña , Semiglazov Vladimir , Thill Marc , Chan Arlene , Morales Serafin , Herranz Jesús , Tusquets Ignacio , Chiesa Massimo , Caballero Rosalía , Valagussa Pinuccia , Bianchini Giampaolo , Alba Emilio , Gianni Luca 

TITLE=Derived Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Pathological Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2021

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.827625

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2021.827625

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=Background Derived Neutrophil-to-Lymphocytes ratio (dNLR) is a biomarker associated with clinical outcome in breast cancer (BC). We analyzed the association of dNLR with pathological complete response (pCR) in triple negative BC (TNBC) patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT). Methods Retrospective analysis of two randomized studies involving early stage/locally advanced TNBC patients receiving anthracycline/taxane-based CT+/-carboplatin (GEICAM/2006-03) or nab-paclitaxel/paclitaxel followed by anthracycline regimen (ETNA). dNLR was calculated as the ratio of neutrophils to the difference between total leukocytes and neutrophils in peripheral blood before CT (baseline) and at the end of treatment (EOT). Logistic regression analyses were used to explore dNLR association with pCR. Results 308 TNBC patients were analyzed, 216 from ETNA and 92 from GEICAM/2006-03. Baseline median dNLR was 1.61 × 109 (interquartile range - IQR: 1.25-2.04) and at EOT 1.53 × 109 (IQR: 0.96-2.22). Baseline dNLR showed positive correlation with increased tumor size (p-value=1e-04). High baseline dNLR, as continuous variable or using median cut-off, was associated with lower likelihood of pCR in univariate analysis. High EOT dNLR as continuous variable or using quartiles was also associated with lower pCR rate in uni- and multivariate analysis. Conclusions High baseline and EOT dNLR correlates with lower benefit from neoadjuvant CT in TNBC.