Prognostic Inflammatory Biomarkers in Cancer Management
Summary
Systemic inflammation plays a pivotal role in tumour development, progression and response to therapy. Circulating inflammatory biomarkers—readily measurable in peripheral blood—reflect host immune status and tumour-driven inflammatory changes. Ratios derived from routine blood counts, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, have emerged as prognostic indicators across multiple cancer types. Beyond cell-count indices, composite scores incorporating acute-phase reactants (for example C-reactive protein) and nutritional markers capture the overall inflammatory burden and associate with surgical outcomes, recurrence risk and survival. Integration of these biomarkers into prognostic models can refine risk stratification, guide treatment selection—from neoadjuvant therapies to immunotherapy—and inform follow-up strategies. Their low cost, reproducibility and global applicability underpin potential adoption in routine oncology practice, thereby supporting personalised cancer management.
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Prognostic Inflammatory Biomarkers in Cancer Management publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in prognostic inflammatory biomarkers in cancer management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR): The number of neutrophils divided by lymphocytes in peripheral blood, reflecting the balance between innate inflammatory response and adaptive immunity.
Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR): The number of platelets divided by lymphocytes, indicating the interplay between thrombopoiesis and immune function in cancer.
Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR): The number of lymphocytes divided by monocytes, serving as a surrogate for antitumour immunity versus protumour inflammation.
Inflammatory burden index (IBI): A composite score combining inflammatory cell counts and acute-phase reactants to quantify systemic inflammation.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs): Therapeutic antibodies that block inhibitory pathways in T cells to enhance antitumour immune responses.
References
- Prognostic value of inflammatory markers NLR, PLR, and LMR in gastric cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Frontiers in Immunology (2024).
- Prognostic Value of Inflammatory Burden Index in Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients Undergoing Multimodal Treatment. Cancers (2024).
- Predicting postoperative gastric cancer prognosis based on inflammatory factors and machine learning technology. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making (2023).
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