Evidence mapPaperPMID 41840623Full record

SynthesisBMC oral health2026

Prognostic value of NLR versus PLR and LMR in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma: a meta-analysis.

Jian Xu, Fan Wu, Yuhuang Jiang, Chunyang Han, Xing Xing, He Zhu, Yaqi Chen, Qilin Li

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC oral health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jian Xu *Department of Stomatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, P. R. China.
Fan Wu *Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Medical College, Huadong Hospital, Fudan University, No. 221 Yan'an West Road, Shanghai, 200040, China.
Yuhuang Jiang *Department of Stomatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, P. R. China.
Chunyang HanThe First Clinical School, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Xing XingSchool of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China.
He ZhuSchool of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China. he.zhu@pku.edu.cn.
Yaqi ChenDepartment of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, PR China. chenyq@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn.
Qilin LiDepartment of Stomatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, P. R. China. qilinli@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn.

Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province 2024AFB053Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province 2024AFB079
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe prognostic value of inflammatory biomarkers like neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) requires further validation. This updated meta-analysis evaluates the impact of these biomarkers on OSCC survival and aims to identify the most effective indicator. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science until February 1, 2026. Hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed using random- or fixed-effects models. Evidence stability was assessed through cumulative meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA), while restricted mean survival time (RMST) analysis measured survival differences between NLR subgroups. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine heterogeneity and robustness.

resultsOut of 1,193 articles, 35 retrospective studies involving 12,225 OSCC patients were included. High pretreatment NLR was significantly associated to poorer OS (HR = 1.61) and DFS (HR = 1.64), confirmed by sufficient cumulative information size in TSA. While high PLR was associated with poor OS, the results showed marked heterogeneity and instability. LMR did not reach statistical significance for OS, confirmed by sufficient evidence in TSA.

conclusionsCurrent evidence suggests that NLR is a robust prognostic biomarker for OSCC. Given the observational nature of the included studies, future prospective studies are necessary to validate these findings and establish standardized NLR thresholds to guide risk stratification and personalized management.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Squamous CellLymphocytesMonocytesMouth NeoplasmsNeutrophilsBiomarkers, TumorHumansLymphocyte CountPlatelet CountPrognosisBiomarkers, TumorLymphocyte-to-monocyte ratioNeutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratioOral squamous cell carcinomaPlatelet-to-lymphocyte ratioPrognostic value

Identifiers

PMID41840623
PMCPMC13104411

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.