Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of Invasive Carcinoma in Patients with Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas

Preoperative determination of the grade of dysplasia in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) is necessary for optimal management. Previous data have suggested that serum neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can predict invasive disease in patients with IPMN. Methods A prospectively maintained database was queried for consecutive patients who underwent resection of IPMN. Exclusion criteria included recent diagnosis of cancer, immunosuppression, and infection or jaundice within 1 month of operation. A complete blood count with differential within 30 days of operation was used to calculate NLR. Results Within the study period, 446 patients underwent resection for IPMN, and 348 patients (78%) met the inclusion criteria. Low-grade dysplasia was present in 60 patients (17%), 137 patients (39%) had intermediate-grade dysplasia, 76 (22%) had high-grade dysplasia, and 75 (22%) had invasive carcinoma. A higher NLR was associated with invasive carcinoma as compared with noninvasive disease (3.00 vs 2.68, P = 0.039). There was no difference in NLR between patients with high-risk (invasive and high-grade) and low-risk (low-grade and intermediate-grade) lesions (2.80 vs 2.71, P > 0.95). Conclusions Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was significantly higher in patients with IPMN-associated invasive carcinoma as compared with patients with noninvasive disease; however, NLR was not helpful in differentiating between high- and low-grade lesions.