Prognostic value of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio for breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of primarily retrospective observational cohort studies
PubMed 41272609 · doi:10.1186/s12905-025-04120-4
What was done
Authors searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science up to May 2024 for studies evaluating the prognostic value of the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in breast cancer. Hazard ratios for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were pooled using fixed-effects or random-effects models. Subgroup analyses evaluated geographic region, sample size, LMR thresholds, follow-up duration, timing, and molecular subtypes.
What was found
Twenty-two studies were included. High LMR was significantly associated with improved OS, DFS, and RFS (p < 0.05). The association between higher LMR and longer DMFS was uncertain. Predictive value for OS and DFS remained significant across different regions, sample sizes, thresholds, follow-up durations, and timing, with varying effects across molecular subtypes. Specific hazard ratios, confidence intervals, and total participant counts were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
LMR is an accessible, routinely available systemic inflammatory biomarker that may aid risk stratification and survival prediction across breast cancer subtypes.
Limits
The underlying studies were predominantly retrospective, introducing selection bias and substantial heterogeneity. No numerical hazard ratios, confidence intervals, or total patient counts were provided in the abstract, and the prognostic link to distant metastasis-free survival remains inconclusive.