Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Therapeutic Outcome After Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Carcinoma of the Ampulla of Vater.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative systemic inflammatory response is associated with a poor long-term prognosis after resection of malignant tumors. Several indicators of systemic inflammation have been reported to be predictive of outcomes, but have not been fully investigated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the significance of the preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in therapeutic outcomes after pancreaticoduodenectomy for carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study comprised of 37 patients who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy for carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater between January 2000 and December 2011. We retrospectively investigated the relation between preoperative NLR and disease-free as well as overall survival. RESULTS: In multivariate analysis, preoperative biliary drainage (p=0.044) and pN2 or pN3 (p=0.027) status were independent and significant predictors of cancer recurrence, while significant predictors of overall survival consisted of pN2 or pN3 (p=0.025) and NLR ≥3 (p=0.026). CONCLUSION: Preoperative NLR is an independent and significant indicator of long-term outcome in patients with carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Measurement of NLR may help decision making in the postoperative management of patients with carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater.