LAUSR

BACKGROUND The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a known prognostic biomarker for survival and is predictive of sentinel lymph node (SLN) positivity in some cancers. However, its usefulness as a prognostic biomarker for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) has not been fully investigated. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to investigate the relationship between the NLR and the disease-specific survival (DSS) and SLN positivity in patients with cSCC. METHODS In this single-center retrospective case series, we analyzed patients with cSCC who underwent blood tests prior to the initiation of treatment at our oncology hospital. The relationship between the patients' clinical characteristics (including the NLR) and the DSS and SLN positivity was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS An elevated NLR was an independent prognostic factor for poor DSS and a predictive factor for SLN positivity. LIMITATIONS Limitations include the small number of participants and selection bias due to the large proportion of high-risk cases in our patient population. CONCLUSION NLR is a useful biomarker in cSCC because it is simple to measure and can predict prognosis.