Affiliations: [a] Laboratory of Proteins Engineering and Bioactive Molecules, INSAT, University of Tunis Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia | [b] Urology Department, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia | [c] Pathology Department, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia | [d] UOSD SAFU, Department of Research, Diagnosis and Innovative Technologies, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
Correspondence:
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Corresponding authors: Slah Ouerhani, Laboratory of Protein Engineering and Bio-Active Molecules, National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology of Tunis, The University of Carthage, Tunisia. %****␣cbm-27-cbm190483_temp.tex␣Line␣25␣**** Tel.: +216 9431 4777; E-mail: slah_mekni@yahoo.fr.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Stratification and risk-evaluation of bladder cancer (BCa) patients are far-reached issues, especially for those with non muscle invasive disease. Thus, setting-up biomarkers, especially after resection of the primary tumor, is crucial. Specifically, Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio NLR and let-7 deregulation which have been preliminarily but not consistently described to be associated to unfavorable prognosis. OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical value of pre-treatment Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), let-7c and let-7g’s deregulation. METHODS: Data were extracted from ninety BCa samples. Pre-treatment NLR was estimated as the absolute neutrophil count divided by the absolute lymphocyte count. Expression patterns of let-7c and let-7g were assessed by qRT-PCR. Correlation with clinical characteristics was performed by descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Both let-7 miRs were upregulated. Interestingly, let-7g was associated to pathological stage (p= 0.001) and tumor multiplicity (p= 0.003). NLR was associated to histological grade (p= 0.005) and clinical stage (p= 0.006). They were both associated to more aggressive phenotype and their worth as potential stratification biomarkers was confirmed by ROC curve. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated the potential clinical value of all markers, especially pretreatment NLR and let-7g. Further studies are recommended to confirm their utility in improving the clinical decision-making regarding treatment and follow-up scheduling.
