Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29618336›Full record

SynthesisBMC cancer2018

Pretreatment neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in determining the prognosis of head and neck cancer: a meta-analysis.

Yalian Yu, Hongbo Wang, Aihui Yan, Hailong Wang, Xinyao Li, Jiangtao Liu, Wei Li

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC cancer, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
55citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
5.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

55 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 93 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Prognostic Value of the Haemoglobin-Albumin-Lymphocyte-Platelet Score in Head and Neck Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery · 2026
    Pooled it
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  4. Pre-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is an independent prognostic factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.Journal of oral pathology & medicine : official publication of the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the American Academy of Oral Pathology · 2022
    Pooled it
  5. Prognostic significance of pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with laryngeal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2021
    Pooled it
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  9. Prognostic Significance of Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio in Salivary Gland Neoplasms: A Systematic Review.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-faciale
    Pooled it
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  18. Serum inflammatory markers as prognostic marker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma with liver metastasis: a multi-center retrospective study.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Yalian YuDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
Hongbo WangDepartment of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
Aihui YanDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
Hailong WangDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Center of Evidence Based Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
Xinyao LiDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.
Jiangtao LiuDepartment of Cardiovascular Surgery & Electro-chemotherapy, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Wei LiDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China. wli@mail.cmu.edu.cn.
First Hospital of China Medical University · CNChina Medical University · CNChina-Japan Friendship Hospital · CN

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 81102057
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecent studies have reported a relationship between prognosis and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). As the results are still controversial, we conducted a meta-analysis of pretreatment NLR in peripheral blood and prognosis in HNC patients.

methodsWe retrieved articles from PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase and Web of Science. A comparative analysis was conducted for the effect of pretreatment NLR in peripheral blood on overall survival (OS), progression-free survival, disease-free survival (DFS), disease-specific survival, metastasis-free survival, and recurrence-free survival of HNC patients. The analysis applied the criteria for systematic reviews described in the Cochrane Handbook and was conducted using hazard ratios (HRs) to estimate effect size, and calculated by Stata/SE version 13.0.

resultsThe meta-analysis included eligible cohort studies (5475 cases). The OS data indicated increased mortality risk in HNC patients with a high NLR (HR = 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.53-2.23; P < 0.001; heterogeneity, I

conclusionsHNC patients with elevated pretreatment NLR in peripheral blood have poor prognosis and are prone to local invasion and distant metastasis. NLR values are easily obtained from routinely collected blood samples and could assist clinicians to determine prognosis of HNC patients.

Indexed as

Leukocyte CountLymphocytesNeutrophilsBiomarkersHead and Neck NeoplasmsHumansLymphocyte CountPrognosisProportional Hazards ModelsPublication BiasBiomarkersHead and neck cancerMeta-analysisNeutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratioPrognosis

Identifiers

PMID29618336
PMCPMC5885417
OpenAlexW2802567595

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.