Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of the platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio in melanoma: A meta‐analysis involving 2099 patients

• Published in: The Kaohsiung journal of medical sciences Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 55 - 62
• Main Authors: Han, Sai‐Nan, Feng, Shi‐Jun, Liu, Yuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: BP, Asia Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 01.01.2021; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Analysis; Biomarkers; Clinical medicine; Data collection; evidence‐based medicine; Immunotherapy; Lymphocytes; Medical prognosis; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Melanoma; Meta-analysis; prognosis; risk factor; Skin cancer; Tumors; China; meta-analysis; melanoma; prognosis; risk factor; evidence-based medicine
• ISSN: 1607-551X; 2410-8650
• DOI: 10.1002/kjm2.12290

To investigate the prognostic role of the platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in melanoma through a meta‐analytical method. The literature was searched using the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus electronic platforms. Hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Begg's test and Egger's test were used to assess potential publication bias. A total of eight retrospective cohort studies involving 2099 patients were included in the meta‐analysis. No significant association between the PLR and OS was found (HR = 1.39; 95% CI = 0.97‐1.99; P = .075). There was also a nonsignificant correlation between the PLR and PFS (HR = 1.49; 95% CI = 0.98‐2.27; P = .065). In addition, there was no significant association between the PLR and sex (odds ratio [OR] = 1.14; 95% CI = 0.23‐5.66; P = .869) or age (OR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.41‐1.59; P = .539). No significant publication bias was found in this meta‐analysis. The pooled analysis suggests that the PLR may not be a significant prognostic marker in patients with melanoma.