Table 3.
Thresholds and sensitivity analysis
| Neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio | HR (95% CI) a | P‐value | HR (95% CI) a | P‐value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reference cut‐off points for cancer patients | ||||||
| Thresholds | ||||||
| <3 | Ref | |||||
| ≥3 | 1.49 (1.31–1.69) | <0.001 | ||||
| Thresholds | ||||||
| <3 | Ref | |||||
| 3–5 | 1.38 (1.20–1.60) | < 0.001 | ||||
| ≥5 | 1.63 (1.40–1.89) | < 0.001 | ||||
| P for trend | < 0.001 | |||||
| Thresholds effect analysis | ||||||
| ≥5 (as continuous, per SD) | 1.12 (1.01–1.25) | 0.035 | ||||
| Sensitive analysis | Excluding patients dying within 6 months | Without myelosuppression | ||||
| As continuous (per SD) | 1.15 (1.06–1.25) | 0.001 | 1.22 (1.14–1.30) | <0.001 | ||
| By NLR cut‐off | ||||||
| Low (<3.5) | Ref | Ref | ||||
| High (≥3.5) | 1.38 (1.18–1.62) | <0.001 | 1.46 (1.27–1.68) | <0.001 | ||
| Interquartile | ||||||
| Q1 (<1.83) | Ref | Ref | ||||
| Q2 (1.83–2.95) | 1.45 (1.15–1.81) | 0.001 | 1.33 (1.08–1.65) | 0.008 | ||
| Q3 (2.95–4.80) | 1.63 (1.29–2.05) | <0.001 | 1.58 (1.28–1.95) | <0.001 | ||
| Q4 (≥4.80) | 1.77 (1.38–2.27) | <0.001 | 1.91 (1.53–2.39) | <0.001 | ||
| P for trend | <0.001 | <0.001 | ||||
BMI, body mass index; EORTC QLQ‐C30, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C‐30; KPS, Karnofsky Performance Status.
a
The model was adjusted for gender, age, BMI, tumour type, TNM stage, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, KPS score, albumin level, total bilirubin level, red blood cell count, platelet count, hand grip strength, reported reduced food intake, reported anorexia and EORTC QLQ‐C30 score.