Postoperative Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Change Predicts Survival of Patients with Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma Undergoing Radiofrequency Ablation

An elevated preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been reported to be a prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after treatment. However, the clinical implication of postoperative NLR change remains unclear.From May 2005 to Aug 2008, a cohort of consecutive 178 small HCC patients treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was retrospectively reviewed. The NLR was recorded within 3 days before and 1 month after RFA. Baseline characteristics, overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) were compared according to preoperative NLR and/or postoperative NLR change. Prognostic factors were assessed by multivariate analysis. = 0.003, HR = 1.69, 95%CI 1.87–8.24).The postoperative NLR change was an independent prognostic factor for small HCC patient undergoing RFA, and patients with decreased NLR indicated better survival than those with increased NLR