"High Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), and Platelet-To-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) in Patients with P16-Negative Head and Neck Cancers Receiving Definitive Radiotherapy are More Important Risk Factors Than Primary Tumor Volume"

Abstract

The definitive radiation (RT) doses for patients with head and neck cancers (HNC) are standardized and guided primarily by TNM status. We hypothesized that baseline indicators of immune response, such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) correlate with RT response. Our study aimed to examine the relationship between primary tumor volume (GTV-P) and NLR/PLR values in nonmetastatic, p16-negative, oral cavity (OC), pharyngeal (PX), and laryngeal (LC) cancers.