In medicine neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is used as a marker of subclinical inflammation. It is calculated by dividing the number of neutrophils by number of lymphocytes, usually from peripheral blood sample, but sometimes also from cells that infiltrate tissue, such as tumor.
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Prognosis of cardiovascular diseases
Higher NLR is independent predictor of mortality in patients undergoing angiography or cardiac revascularization.
Prognostic marker in cancer
Increased NLR is associated with poor prognosis of various cancers, such as esophageal cancer or pancreatic cancer.
References
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA