ArticleClinical and experimental medicine2026
Prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in POEMS syndrome.
Article in Clinical and experimental medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
POEMS syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic disorder driven by clonal plasma cell proliferation and systemic inflammation, but existing prognostic models inadequately incorporate inflammation-related parameters. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)-a simple, accessible marker of systemic inflammation and immune status-lacks systematic prognostic validation in POEMS syndrome. This single-center retrospective study enrolled 61 patients. The cohort was stratified into two eras (2010-2017 and 2018-2025) to assess temporal consistency. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to derive an exploratory NLR cut-off for overall survival. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to assess associations between NLR and progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and independent prognostic significance. The effect modification by Li's prognostic risk strata was explored using interaction and stratified analyses. Correlations were tested by Spearman's coefficient between NLR and C-reactive protein (CRP), and AUCs were compared by DeLong's test. ROC analysis showed moderate discrimination of baseline NLR for OS (AUC 0.736, 95% CI 0.613-0.860; P = 0.006), and the exploratory cut-off was 2.773. Patients with NLR > 2.773 had significantly shorter PFS (median 62 months vs not reached; P < 0.001) and OS (median 76 months vs not reached; P < 0.001) than those with NLR ≤ 2.773. Multivariable Cox regression confirmed NLR > 2.773 as an independent prognostic factor for inferior PFS (HR 3.547, 95% CI 1.086-11.586; P = 0.036). In Li's high-risk subgroup, high NLR further separated survival curves, although the formal interaction for PFS was not significant (P for interaction = 0.270), and OS interaction modeling was limited by few death events. CRP showed prognostic relevance, NLR correlated moderately with CRP (Spearman's ρ = 0.49, P < 0.001). A combined NLR + CRP model did not significantly improve OS discrimination over either marker alone (DeLong tests, all P > 0.05). Collectively, elevated baseline NLR is associated with inferior PFS and OS in POEMS syndrome and may reflect an inflammation-related risk phenotype. As a simple and widely available index, NLR may complement existing prognostic frameworks by incorporating an inflammation-immune dimension. External validation in independent multi-center cohorts is warranted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.