학술논문
Neutrophil‐lymphocyte ratio in relation to risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
Document Type
article
Author
Source
Cancer Medicine, Vol 12, Iss 3, Pp 3589-3600 (2023)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2045-7634
Abstract
Abstract Background Blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) or lymphocyte count may be important markers for immune function. Previous work has shown higher NLR was associated with higher risk of hepatitis B‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, studies in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients are lacking. Methods Utilizing the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) electronic health records, we created a retrospective cohort of 27,834 patients diagnosed with NAFLD from 2004 to 2018 with complete NLR data. After an average 5.5 years of follow‐up, 203 patients developed HCC. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of HCC incidence associated with different levels of NLR and lymphocyte count. Results Compared with the lowest tertile of NLR (