Evaluation of some inflammatory parameters in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma compared with healthy individuals.

Introduction: Head and neck cancer is one of the most common cancers, and its early detection is very important in controlling and preventing subsequent risks. Inflammatory parameters are likely to change in cancers, but the results of studies have been contradictory. Therefore, the present study was conducted to compare the ratios of neutrophils to lymphocytes, platelets to lymphocytes, and red blood cell volume expansion in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with healthy individuals.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 98 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients and 110 healthy individuals. By examining their blood tests, the number of inflammatory cell biomarkers in patients was compared with healthy individuals. The cut-off point, sensitivity, and specificity of the biomarkers under study were determined. The statistical software used for data analysis was SPSS version 22.
Results: The mean NLR, PLR, and RDW were significantly higher in SCC patients than in healthy individuals. (P < 0.001) The cut-off point for RDW was 13.55, for NLR was 2.48, and for PLR was 142.4.
Conclusion: Blood cell inflammatory biomarkers, such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and red blood cell volume distribution width, can be considered as factors for the early diagnosis and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.