Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio associates with nutritional parameters, intratumoral immune profiles, and clinical outcomes of pembrolizumab in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract

The relationship between the tumor-immune microenvironment and systemic inflammatory markers, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), is unclear. We examined the characteristics of systemic inflammatory markers and tumor immune microenvironments in relation to treatment outcomes in 29 consecutive patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) who received pembrolizumab, using 14-marker multiplex immunohistochemistry and image cytometry. NLR ≥4.5 (high NLR) at pretreatment status significantly correlated with short overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival-2 (PFS2) and malnutrition status. High NLR in peripheral blood was significantly correlated with low lymphoid cell and high tumor-associated macrophage counts in tissues, especially myeloid-to-lymphoid cell ratios, suggesting an association between circulating and intratumoral immune complexity profiles. This study suggests a link between NLR in circulating blood, systemic nutritional status, and immune composition within the tumor.