Is the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio a Predictive Factor of Pathological Complete Response in Egyptian Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy?

<i>Background and Objectives:</i> The role of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a predictor of response in breast cancers after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is controversial. This study aims to explore the relationship of NLR with pathological complete response (pCR) in a cohort of Egyptian breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. <i>Materials and Methods:</i> Forty-six breast cancer females received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy and then underwent surgery. All resected tumors were evaluated to determine the pathologic effect of the neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A complete blood count was carried out at baseline before beginning the neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The absolute count of neutrophils was divided by the absolute count of lymphocytes to calculate the NLR. <i>Results:</i> Of the study patients, 18 (39.1%) were considered to have a low NLR (NLR < 1.76), and 28 (60.9%) were considered to have a high NLR (NLR ≥ 1.76). Patients with a low NLR had 18-fold higher rates of pCR when compared to patients with a high NLR (OR 18.1; 95% CI (1.058-310.757); <i>p</i> = 0.046). <i>Conclusions:</i> Our findings indicate that the pretreatment NLR is a pivotal predictor factor of the pathological complete response in Egyptian breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.