The Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as A Prognostic Factor For Long-Term Interleukin-2 Use in Renal Cell Carcinoma

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a measure of systemic inflammation, has been reported to be a predictive parameter of patient prognosis. We speculated that the NLR is decreased in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients in whom interleukin (IL)-2 is effective. In this study, we retrospectively examined the usefulness of the NLR as a prognostic factor using three cases of RCC treated with long-term IL-2. In all three cases, the NLR remained less than 2.7 during IL-2 treatment, suggesting its effectiveness as a marker. During interferon-α or molecular targeted drug therapy, the NLR was unstable, regardless of treatment effectiveness, but a sudden rise in the NLR tended to suggest massive radiographic progression and worse prognosis. The results suggested that the NLR might serve as a useful marker for therapies when determining prognosis.