AUTHOR=Wang Xingmu , Ni Xiaoyan , Tang Guiliang 

TITLE=Prognostic Role of Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients With Bladder Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2019.00757

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2019.00757

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Many studies have been reported that platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) may be associated with the prognosis of bladder cancer, but the results are inconsistent. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of pretreatment PLR on the prognosis of bladder cancer.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> The databases PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to analyze the relationship between PLR and prognosis. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were used to analyze the relationship between PLR and clinicopathological features. Publication bias was estimated using Begg's funnel plot asymmetry tests.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> A total of 8 studies comprising 3,303 patients were included in this meta-analysis. An elevated PLR was significantly associated with poorer overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.03–1.54, <italic>p</italic> = 0.026), but not with cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.95–1.38, <italic>p</italic> = 0.149), or recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR = 1.72, 95% CI = 0.79–3.75, <italic>p</italic> = 0.175). In addition, high PLR was correlated with age ≥ 65 years (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.24–2.67, <italic>p</italic> = 0.002), whereas was not significantly correlated with sex, tumor grade, tumor stage, distant metastasis, or tumor size.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> The pretreatment PLR could serve as a predicative biomarker of poor prognosis for patients with bladder cancer.</p>