Eribulin or capecitabine monotherapy is the next cytotoxic chemotherapy option for patients with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer who have previously received an anthracycline or a taxane. However, it is unclear what factors can guide the selection of eribulin or capecitabine in this setting, and prognostic factors are needed to guide appropriate treatment selection. | Takamizawa et al. BMC Cancer 2022 22 64 https s12885-021-09112-9 RESEARCH Open Access Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic factor for patients with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer treated using capecitabine a retrospective study Shigemasa Takamizawa Tatsunori Shimoi Natsuko Satomi Tsushita Shu Yazaki Toshihiro Okuya Yuki Kojima Hitomi Sumiyoshi Okuma Tadaaki Nishikawa Maki Tanioka Kazuki Sudo Emi Noguchi and Kan Yonemori Abstract Background Eribulin or capecitabine monotherapy is the next cytotoxic chemotherapy option for patients with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer who have previously received an anthracycline or a taxane. However it is unclear what factors can guide the selection of eribulin or capecitabine in this setting and prognostic factors are needed to guide appropriate treatment selection. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio NLR is a prognostic factor for eribulin- treated patients although it is unclear whether it is a prognostic factor for capecitabine-treated patients. Therefore we analysed the ability of the NLR to predict oncological outcomes among patients who received capecitabine after previous anthracycline or taxane treatment for breast cancer. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer who had previously received anthracycline or taxane treatment at the National Cancer Center Hospital between 2007 and 2015. Patients were included if they received eribulin or capecitabine monotherapy as first-line second-line or third-line chemotherapy. Analyses of overall survival OS and progression-free survival PFS were performed accord ing to various factors. Results Between 2007 and 2015 we identified 125 eligible patients including 46 patients who received only eribu lin 34 patients who received only capecitabine and 45 patients who received eribulin and capecitabine. The median follow-up period was months. Among eribulin-treated patients an NLR
