Preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte and lymphocyte-monocyte ratios predict prognosis in patients with penile cancer undergoing partial or total penectomy

Abstract Purpose To investigate the prognostic values of preoperative neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR)and lymphocyte–monocyte ratio (LMR) in patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC). Methods A total of 47 patients with PSCC who underwent partial or total penectomy from 2000 to 2022 was retrospectively analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves were used to determine the cutoff values of NLR and LMR for diagnosis of tumor recurrence. Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used in the survival analysis. Cox proportional-hazards regression model was used in the independent risk factor analysis. Results The cutoff values of NLR and PLR derived from the ROC curves were 2.3 and 3.9 respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that NLR and LMR were significantly associated with PFS (P < 0.001, P = 0.029). Lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001), distant metastases (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001) and pathological stage (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001) correlate significantly with PFS and OS, respectively. Multivariate analysis verified pathological stage, lymph node metastasis, and NLR to be independent prognostic factors for PFS (P = 0.021, P = 0.001 and P = 0.033). Conclusions NLR could be an independent predictor of PFS in patients with PSCC.