RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Neutrophil–lymphocyte Ratio and Histological Response Correlate With Prognosis of Gastric Cancer Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy JF In Vivo JO In Vivo FD International Institute of Anticancer Research SP 378 OP 384 DO 10.21873/invivo.13089 VO 37 IS 1 A1 NAOKI URAKAWA A1 SHINGO KANAJI A1 TAKASHI KATO A1 RYUICHIRO SAWADA A1 HITOSHI HARADA A1 HIRONOBU GOTO A1 HIROSHI HASEGAWA A1 KIMIHIRO YAMASHITA A1 TAKERU MATSUDA A1 TARO OSHIKIRI A1 YOSHIHIRO KAKEJI YR 2023 UL http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/37/1/378.abstract AB Background/Aim: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for advanced gastric cancer (GC) and esophagogastric junction cancer (EGC) is expected to effectively control the tumor; however, histological tumor response and immune function markers as prognostic factors for NAC remain unknown. This study assessed the prognostic significance of histological response and immune function markers in patients undergoing NAC for GC and EGC. Patients and Methods: Forty-two patients who underwent NAC followed by surgical resection for operable advanced GC or EGC from January 2007 to December 2019 were divided into two groups based on histological response. Overall survival (OS), tumor response, and immune function markers, such as the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), were the outcomes analyzed. Results: The 5-year OS for Grade 2b-3 (n=10, responder group) according to the Japanese Gastric Cancer Classification was 72.0% with a favorable prognosis, compared with 33.3% for Grade 0-1a (n=18), and 46.8% for Grade 1b-2a (n=14) in the non-responder group. There was no significant difference in the background between the two groups regarding clinical status or immune function markers. In a multivariate analysis of immune function markers, the NLR value before NAC was significantly associated with prognosis (p=0.048). Patients with an NLR value <3.4 had a favorable OS (p=0.03). Conclusion: Histological response scores for Grade 2b or higher may help predict a favorable prognosis for patients undergoing NAC for advanced GC and EGC. The outcomes may be further improved by considering NLR values.