Prognostic Biomarkers in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients

This study of 245 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) found that post-treatment blood markers, such as platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), predicted pathological complete response. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at two treatment timepoints significantly predicted overall survival, while the platelet-neutrophil (PN) index was associated with disease-free survival. In patients with pathological stage II, the PN index identified those at higher risk for disease recurrence. These blood parameters could help stratify LARC patients for targeted therapeutic strategies beyond traditional tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging.