Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Total (n = 88) | NLR < 4.57 (n = 51) | NLR ≥ 4.57 (n = 37) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 69 ± 11 | 69 ± 12 | 70 ± 11 | 0.582 |
| Sex (female), n (%) | 22 (25.0) | 15 (29.4) | 7 (18.9) | 0.262 |
| BMI, median (IQR) | 26.6 (24.2–30.6) | 27.4 (24.8–30.8) | 25.5 (23.5–29.4) | 0.067 |
| Cancer disease, n (%) | ||||
| Melanoma | 45 (51.1) | 31 (60.8) | 14 (37.8) | 0.034* |
| Merkel cell carcinoma | 10 (11.4) | 5 (9.8) | 5 (13.5) | 0.588 |
| Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma | 13 (14.8) | 5 (9.8) | 8 (21.6) | 0.123 |
| NSCLC | 12 (13.6) | 6 (11.8) | 6 (16.2) | 0.548 |
| Other | 13 (14.8) | 6 (11.8) | 7 (18.9) | 0.350 |
| Metastasis | 61 (69.3) | 34 (66.7) | 27 (73.0) | 0.828 |
| ≥ 2 cancer entities (in the last 5 years) | 20 (22.7) | 13 (25.5) | 7 (18.9) | 0.468 |
| Cancer progression | 6 (6.8) | 4 (7.8) | 2 (5.4) | 0.601 |
| Cancer recurrence | 22 (25.0) | 16 (31.4) | 6 (16.2) | 0.108 |
| Prior cancer treatment, n (%) | ||||
| Surgery | 73 (83.0) | 42 (82.4) | 31 (83.8) | 0.860 |
| Radiation | 25 (28.4) | 10 (19.6) | 15 (40.5) | 0.032* |
| Thoracic radiation | 9 (10.2) | 5 (9.8) | 4 (10.8) | 0.902 |
| Chemotherapy | 19 (21.6) | 8 (15.7) | 11 (29.7) | 0.114 |
| Anthracycline | 2 (2.3) | 0 | 2 (5.4) | 0.093 |
| Platinum-based chemotherapy | 17 (19.3) | 7 (13.7) | 10 (27.0) | 0.119 |
| Other chemotherapy | 4 (4.5) | 1 (2.0) | 3 (8.1) | 0.172 |
| Tyrosine kinase inhibitor | 5 (5.7) | 2 (3.9) | 3 (8.1) | 0.402 |
| MEK inhibitor | 7 (8.0) | 4 (7.8) | 3 (8.1) | 0.964 |
| B-Raf inhibitor | 6 (6.8) | 4 (7.8) | 2 (5.4) | 0.654 |
| Taxane | 8 (9.1) | 4 (7.8) | 4 (10.8) | 0.633 |
| Prior ICI therapy | 54 (61.4) | 28 (54.9) | 26 (70.3) | 0.144 |
| Cardiovascular comorbidities, n (%) | ||||
| Coronary artery disease | 35 (39.8) | 20 (39.2) | 15 (40.5) | 0.900 |
| Previous PCI | 21 (23.9) | 14 (27.5) | 7 (18.9) | 0.354 |
| CABG | 13 (14.8) | 9 (17.6) | 4 (10.8) | 0.372 |
| Previous myocardial infarction | 12 (13.6) | 7 (13.7) | 5 (13.5) | 0.977 |
| Congestive heart failure | 15 (17.0) | 8 (15.7) | 7 (18.9) | 0.691 |
| Peripheral artery occlusive disease | 9 (10.2) | 4 (7.8) | 5 (13.5) | 0.386 |
| Cerebral artery occlusive disease | 8 (9.1) | 5 (9.8) | 3 (8.1) | 0.785 |
| History of stroke | 20 (22.7) | 14 (27.4) | 6 (16.2) | 0.214 |
| Valvular heart disease | 5 (5.7) | 3 (5.9) | 2 (5.4) | 0.836 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 29 (32.9) | 15 (29.4) | 14 (37.8) | 0.406 |
| Pacemaker | 6 (6.8) | 2 (3.9) | 4 (10.8) | 0.206 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 10 (11.4) | 7 (13.7) | 3 (8.1) | 0.412 |
| COPD | 7 (8.0) | 4 (7.8) | 3 (8.1) | 0.964 |
| Hypertension | 68 (77.3) | 44 (86.3) | 24 (64.9) | 0.018* |
| Diabetes mellitus | 25 (28.4) | 18 (35.3) | 7 (18.9) | 0.093 |
| Dyslipidemia | 28 (31.8) | 19 (37.3) | 9 (24.3) | 0.199 |
| History of smoking (current or past) | 15 (17.0) | 9 (17.6) | 6 (16.2) | 0.917 |
| Obesity | 25 (28.4) | 17 (33.3) | 8 (21.6) | 0.229 |
Continuous variables are expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) or median (interquartile range (IQR)) in case of non-normally distributed data. Categorial variables are shown as frequencies and percentages (%)
NLR neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; BMI body mass index; NSCLC non-small-cell lung cancer; MEK mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase; B-Raf B-rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma; ICI immune checkpoint inhibitor; PCI percutaneous coronary intervention; CABG coronary artery bypass graft; COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
*Statistically significant difference between cancer patients with low and high NLR