Are preoperative complete blood count parameters in peripheral nerve sheath tumors useful diagnostic tools?

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic value ofcomplete blood count (CBC) parameters in patients with peripheralnerve sheath tumors (PNSTs).Patients and methods: A total of 181 patients (83 males,98 females; median age: 44 years; range, 15 to 83 years)who underwent surgical treatment for PNSTs in our tertiaryoncology center between January 2010 and December 2019 wereretrospectively analyzed. Eighty-two patients were diagnosed witha neurofibroma, 79 with a schwannoma, and 20 with a malignantPNST (MPNST). The patient group was evaluated as malignant(n=20) and benign (n=161). Age- and sex-matched patientsadmitted to our outpatient clinic of orthopedic and traumatologywith non-specific symptoms other than tumor, infection,fracture, and rheumatological or hematological diseases wereincluded as the control group (n=165). Data including age, sex,definitive histopathological diagnosis, and pre-treatment CBCvalues were obtained from the hospital records. Pre-treatmentCBC values such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR),platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyteratio (LMR) were calculated for both malignant and benigngroups and control groups. Diagnostic values of NLR, PLR, andLMR between PNST groups were assessed using the receiveroperating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.Results: Neurofibroma, schwannoma, and MNPST groups hadsignificantly higher median NLR, compared to the control group(p