Patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma navigate a confusing and complicated path. Though the disease is always considered fatal and expected survival is notoriously brief, patients tare offered a range of potential treatments based on the specifics of their condition. A recent study conducted by Japanese researchers has identified an important predictor of survival in those who are candidates for the aggressive surgery known as extrapleural pneumonectomy.
Nutritional Parameters Provide Prognostic Value in Mesothelioma Patients Undergoing Surgery
Inflammation has been shown to play an outsized role in the development and spread of many types of cancer, and malignant mesothelioma is no exception. To explore whether complex inflammatory and nutritional parameters have a prognostic value in the rare, asbestos-related disease, researchers from the Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Hospital Organization Yamaguchi Ube Medical Center in Japan identified five different parameters and assessed their value in patients undergoing extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery.
Additionally, the scientists evaluated the correlation between those parameters and the expression of PD-L1 in the tumor microenvironment. They found that neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was an independent predictor for patients scheduled for the aggressive surgery.
Five-Year Overall Mesothelioma Survival Can be Predicted by Inflammatory and Nutritional Parameters
In summarizing their results, the researchers noted that the mesothelioma patients’ high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios and high C-reactive protein-to-NLR ratios were associated with poor prognoses, while high prognostic nutritional indexes were associated with good prognoses. Based on this and other data, they determined that neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio can be used as an independent prognostic tool to predict extrapleural pneumonectomy outcomes. They noted that elevated neutrophil and platelet counts are associated with systemic inflammation, and that in light of the role that inflammation and nutrition play in immunologic function, it suggests that “tumor-induced chronic inflammation and malnutrition coexist in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.”
Among their conclusions was the suggestion that testing neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios can be used to predict the clinical outcome of this aggressive surgery, though they suggest further studies to establish its reliability as a predictive marker.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, research holds the greatest hope for effective treatment and an eventual cure. For more information, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
