Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37622124›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in immunology2023

Neutrophil to Lymphocyte ratio as a predictor for immune-related adverse events in cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Wei Zhang, Yifei Tan, Yuquan Li, Jiang Liu

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in immunology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
50citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
15.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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

50 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 65 citations in OpenAlex.

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  6. The Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Journey: From Early Promise to Lasting Impact.Journal of immunotherapy and precision oncology · 2026
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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

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Wei ZhangBreast Tumor Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Yifei TanDepartment of Ultrasonography, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Yuquan LiDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Jiang LiuBreast Tumor Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital · CNSichuan University · CNSun Yat-sen University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancer treatment has led to an increase in immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which can cause treatment discontinuation and even fatal reactions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the peripheral biomarker neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in predicting irAEs. Methods: A systematic search of databases was conducted to identify studies on the predictive value of NLR for irAEs. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was used to compare continuous NLR, while crude odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for categorized NLR if adjusted ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were not provided in the original study. Results: The meta-analysis included 47 studies with a total of 11,491 cancer patients treated with ICIs. The baseline continuous NLR was significantly lower in patients with irAEs compared to those without (SMD=-1.55, 95%CI=-2.64 to -0.46, P=0.006). Similarly, categorized NLR showed that lower baseline NLR was associated with increased irAEs (OR=0.55, 95%CI=0.41-0.73, P<0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that the OR for predicting irAEs with NLR cut-off values of 3 and 5 was 0.4 and 0.59, respectively. Interestingly, increased baseline NLR was associated with a higher incidence of immune-related liver injury (OR=2.44, 95%CI=1.23-4.84, I2 = 0%, P=0.010). Conclusion: Our study suggests that lower baseline NLR is associated with a higher risk of overall irAEs. However, further studies are needed to determine the best cut-off value and explore the efficacy of NLR in predicting specific types of irAEs.

Indexed as

Immune Checkpoint InhibitorsNeoplasmsDatabases, FactualHumansLymphocytesNeutrophilsOdds RatioImmune Checkpoint Inhibitorsbiomarkercancer treatmentimmune checkpoint inhibitorsimmune-related adverse eventsneutrophil to lymphocyte ratio

Identifiers

PMID37622124
PMCPMC10445236
OpenAlexW4385701447

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.