The Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio as a prognostic factor in Interstitial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio as a prognostic factor in Interstitial Lung Diseases
IRAS ID
244969
Contact name
Theresia Mikolasch
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
not applicable , not applicable
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) has an incidence of approximately 57/100,000 per year and is associated with significant morbidity. The ILDs consist of a heterogeneous group of diseases with varying amounts of interstitial inflammation and fibrosis, however, there is heterogeneity in outcome, with survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) particularly poor. Some patients gradually deteriorate, some undergo step wise progression, whilst others decline rapidly. Moreover, much of the prognostic data heralds from an era when the criteria for diagnosing IPF were less well and differently defined than at present. Prognostic biomarkers in ILD may inform prognosis and guide management decisions such as timing of lung transplant or initiation of treatment. One of the most commonly used prognostic scoring systems is the GAP score (Gender, Age, Physiology), however it is a relatively static model that has been unable to prospectively predict rapidly deteriorating patients, nor is it helpful in assessing treatment response.
Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) has recently been shown to be an independent prognostic factor in several malignancies and has been evaluated in other inflammatory processes. Moreover, NLR has been shown to predict lung involvement in scleroderma and myositis.
This study will evaluate the optimal NLR ratio to define high and low risk groups in different ILD subtypes and determine whether NLR can predict time to death/transplant in different ILDs. This will hopefully improve both prognostication and patient selection for early treatment, thereby improving patient outcomes.REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0937
Date of REC Opinion
24 May 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion