Table 1.
Characteristics of included studies
| Study | Year | Country | Design, center | Models | Endpoint | HRs | Sample size | Cut‐off | Ages (Years) | Triple negative tumors (%) | Diagnosis | Follow‐up (months) | Therapies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allan et al | 2016 | Costa Rica | Retrospective, single center | NLR & PLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 172 | NLR: 3; PLR: 250 | 54.2 ± 12.7 | 34 (19.6) | Nonmetastatic breast cancer | 79.3 (2‐90) | Adjuvant chemotherapy |
| Asano et al | 2015 | Japan | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 177 | NLR: 3 | ≤56:87;>56:90 | 61 (34.5) | Early stage breast cancer | 40.8 (7.2‐72) | Neoadjuvant chemotherapy |
| Asano et al | 2016 | Japan | Retrospective, single center | PLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 177 | PLR: 150 | ≤56:87;>56:90 | 61 (34.5) | Early stage breast cancer | 37.2 (1.2‐72) | Neoadjuvant chemotherapy + surgery |
| Azab et al | 2013 | USA | Retrospective, single center | NLR & PLR | OS | Reported | 437 | NLR: 3.3; PLR: 185 | 63.6 ± 0.7 | NA | Breast cancer with all stages | Mean: 60 | Surgery or chemotherapy or radiotherapy |
| Blanchette et al | 2018 | Canada | Retrospective, single center | PLR | OS & FFS | Reported | 154 | PLR: 185 | 56 (47‐63) | 0 (0) | HER2‐positive metastatic breast cancer | 34 (6‐124) | Trastuzumab therapy |
| Bozkurt et al | 2015 | Turkey | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 85 | NLR: 2 | ≤50:57;>50:28 | 85 (100) | Early stage breast cancer | NA | Surgery + adjuvant chemotherapy |
| Chae et al | 2018 | Korea | Retrospective, single center | NLR | DFS | Reported | 87 | NLR: 1.7 | 45.8 ± 11.2 | 87 (100) | Early stage breast cancer | Median: 57 | Neoadjuvant chemotherapy + surgery |
| Chen et al | 2016 | China | Retrospective, single center | NLR | DFS & CSS | Reported | 215 | NLR: 2.1 | 46.41 ± 9.82 | 18 (8.4) | TNM stage II‐III | 57.6 ± 27.1 | Neoadjuvant chemotherapy + surgery |
| Cho et al | 2018 | Korea | Retrospective, single center | NLR & PLR | DFS & CSS | Reported | 661 | NLR: 1.34; PLR: 185.5 | 52.7 ± 11.5 | 117 (17.7) | All TNM stages | 72 (1‐189) | Surgery |
| Cihan et al | 2014 | Turkey | Retrospective, single center | NLR & PLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 350 | NLR: 3; PLR: 160 | 55.3 ± 0.3 | NA | All TNM stages | 0.3‐112 | Surgery + adjuvant therapies |
| Dirican et al | 2015 | Turkey | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 1527 | NLR: 4 | ≤35:92;36‐50:619;>50:816 | 214 (14) | All TNM stages | 30 (2‐75) | Surgery |
| Ferroni et al | 2018 | Italy | Retrospective, Database | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 475 | NLR: 2 | 57 ± 13 | 57 (12) | All TNM stages | 45.6 (3.12‐139.2) | Surgery |
| Forget et al | 2014 | Belgium | Retrospective, Database | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 425 | NLR: 3.3 | 25‐89 | NA | Resectable breast cancer | 69.8 (53.5‐89.9) | Surgery |
| Gunduz et al | 2015 | Turkey | Retrospective, single center | PLR | DFS | Reported | 62 | PLR: 200 | 52 (24‐73) | NA | Advanced breast cancer | Median: 48.4 | Surgery + adjuvant chemotherapy |
| Hernandez et al | 2017 | Spain | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 150 | NLR: 3.3 | 49.8 (28‐77) | 38 (25.3) | TNM stage I‐III | 24 (1‐144) | Neoadjuvant chemotherapy + surgery |
| Hong et al | 2016 | China | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 487 | NLR: 1.93 | 55 (28‐89) | 94 (19.2) | Primary invasive breast cancer | Median: 55 | Surgery |
| Iwase et al | 2017 | Japan | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS | Reported | 89 | NLR: 3 | 50.9 ± 11.3 | 24 (27) | Recurrent breast cancer | NA | Chemotherapy |
| Jia et al | 2015 | China | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 1570 | NLR: 2 | 48.9 ± 11.8 | 225 (14.3) | Operable breast cancer | 79 (4‐172) | Surgery |
| Koh et al | 2014 | Korea | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 157 | NLR: 2.25 | 44 (24‐71) | 0 (0) | ER/PR(+) and HER2(−) | 21 (1‐108) | Neoadjuvant chemotherapy + surgery |
| Koh et al | 2015 | Malaysia | Retrospective, single center | NLR & PLR | OS& DFS | Reported | 1435 | NLR: 4; PLR: 185 | Median: 52 | 208 (14.5) | All TNM stages | NA | Surgery or chemotherapy or radiotherapy |
| Krenn‐Pilko et al | 2014 | Austria | Retrospective, single center | PLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 747 | PLR: 292 | 57.9 ± 12.2 | NA | Nonmetastatic breast cancer | 98 ± 29.2 | Surgery |
| Krenn‐Pilko et al | 2016 | Austria | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 747 | NLR: 3 | 58.1 ± 12.2 | NA | Nonmetastatic breast cancer | Median: 106 | Surgery |
| Lee et al | 2018 | Korea | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 358 | NLR: 3.16 | Median: 51 | 358 (100) | Advanced triple‐negative breast cancer | NA | Surgery |
| Limori et al | 2018 | Japan | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS | Reported | 34 | NLR: 3 | 63 (44‐88) | NA | Stage IV breast cancer | NA | Endocrine therapy |
| Liu et al | 2016 | China | Retrospective, single center | NLR & PLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 318 | NLR: 3; PLR: 147 | 45 (19‐71) | 161 (50.6) | HR(−) nonmetastatic breast cancer | 58.1 (5.9‐136.1) | Surgery |
| Mando et al | 2018 | Argentina | Retrospective, single center | NLR | DFS | Reported | 85 | NLR: 2 | 56 (44‐66) | 5 (5.9) | Early stage breast cancer | 38.6 (29.4‐60.1) | Surgery |
| Miyagawa et al | 2018 | Japan | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS | Reported | 59 | NLR: 3 | 34‐83 | 12 (21.4) | Metastatic breast cancer | NA | Chemotherapy |
| Nakano et al | 2014 | Japan | Retrospective, single center | NLR | DFS & CSS | Reported | 167 | NLR: 2.5 | 57.9 ± 10.9 | NA | Operable breast cancer with stage I‐III | 85.8 (19.8‐148.9) | Neoadjuvant chemotherapy or surgery |
| Orditura et al | 2016 | Italy | Retrospective, single center | NLR | DFS | Reported | 300 | NLR: 1.97 | ≤35:9;>35:291 | 30 (10) | Early stage breast cancer | Median: 84 | Surgery |
| Pistelli et al | 2014 | Italy | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 90 | NLR: 3 | 53 (28‐79) | 90 (100) | Early stage breast cancer | 53.8 (13.1‐95.2) | Surgery |
| Qiu et al | 2018 | China | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 406 | NLR: 2.85 | 44 (21‐75) | 406 (100) | Early stage breast cancer | 54.3 (7.8‐126.5) | Surgery + chemotherapy |
| Takeuchi et al | 2017 | Japan | Retrospective, single center | NLR & PLR | DFS | Reported | 296 | NLR: 2.06; PLR: 162.28 | <50:61;≥50:235 | NA | Localized breast cancer | Median: 41 | Surgery |
| Takuwa et al | 2018 | Japan | Retrospective, single center | NLR | OS | Reported | 171 | NLR: 1.9 | 59 (31‐89) | NA | Metastatic breast cancer | 44 (0‐217) | Multidisciplinary therapy |
| Templeton et al | 2018 | Spain | Prospective, 65 GEICAM institutions | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 1243 | NLR: 1.35 | 50 (23‐76) | 107 (8.6) | Early stage breast cancer | Median: 120 | Surgery + chemotherapy |
| Ulas et al | 2015 | Turkey | Retrospective, two centers | NLR & PLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 51 | NLR: 2.38; PLR: 161.28 | 51.4 ± 10.4 | NA | HER2‐positive early breast cancer | 26 (6‐84) | Surgery + adjuvant chemotherapy |
| Vernieri et al | 2018 | Italy | Retrospective, single center | NLR & PLR | OS | Reported | 57 | NLR: 2.5; PLR: 200 | 56 (33.7‐78.9) | 57 (100) | Metastatic breast cancer | NA | Chemotherapy |
| Wariss et al | 2017 | Brazil | Retrospective, one center | NLR & PLR | OS | Reported | 2288 | NLR: 4; PLR: 150 | 55 (18‐98) | 301 (12.7) | All TNM stages | NA | All kinds of therapies |
| Yao et al | 2014 | China | Retrospective, one center | NLR & PLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 608 | NLR: 2.56; PLR: 107.64 | 52.4 ± 10.8 | 98 (17.2) | Operable breast cancer | 42 (8‐62) | Surgery |
| Zhang et al | 2016 | China | Retrospective, one center | NLR | OS & DFS | Reported | 162 | NLR: 1.81 | 50.8 ± 10.6 | NA | TNM stage I‐III | NA | Surgery |
CSS, cancer‐specific survival; DFS, disease‐free survival; FFS, failure‐free survival; HRs, hazard ratios; N/A, not available; NLR, neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio; OS, overall survival; PLR, platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio; TNM, Tumor, node, metastases; GEICAM, Spanish Group for the Investigation of Breast Cancer Ages and Follow‐up periods were expressed as mean ± SD or median (range).
The bolds represent summary of subgroup analyses for OS and DFS.