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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2013; 19(45): 8398-8407
Published online Dec 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i45.8398
Published online Dec 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i45.8398
Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio predicts the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation
Guang-Qin Xiao, Chang Liu, Da-Li Liu, Jia-Yin Yang, Lu-Nan Yan, Department of Liver and Vascular Surgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Xiao GQ and Yan LN conceived and designed the study; Xiao GQ, Liu C, Liu DL and Yang JY collected the data, followed the patients, analyzed the data and drafted the article; Yang JY and Yan LN revised the manuscript and obtained funding; Xiao GQ, Liu C, Liu DL, Yang JY, and Yan LN provided data acquisition and technical support and were involved in editing the manuscript.
Supported by The National Science and Technology Major Project of China, No. 2012ZX10002-016 and No. 2012ZX10002017-017
Correspondence to: Lu-Nan Yan, PhD, Department of Liver and Vascular Surgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Wuhou District No. 37, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. yanlunan1268@163.com
Telephone: +86-28-85422867 Fax: +86-28-85422867
Received: May 19, 2013
Revised: October 8, 2013
Accepted: November 3, 2013
Published online: December 7, 2013
Revised: October 8, 2013
Accepted: November 3, 2013
Published online: December 7, 2013
Core Tip
Core tip: Inflammation has been linked to the biological characteristics of tumors. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a simple biomarker of inflammation. Several studies have reported that a preoperative elevated NLR (in peripheral blood) is negatively associated with the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver transplantation (LT). However, the ideal cut-off value is controversial, with studies citing both 3 and 5 as the appropriate cut-off NLR. In this study, we report 326 HCC patients who had undergone LT at our center. We identify NLR = 4 as the cut-off point for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients after LT.