Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of cardiovascular mortality in cancer survivors

Abstract This study aims to evaluate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a predictive biomarker for cardiovascular mortality among cancer patients, utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). From the NHANES dataset (2007–2018), we analyzed 4974 cancer survivors, investigating the prognostic significance of NLR for all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer-specific mortality. Survival outcomes were analyzed using Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier methods. Optimal NLR cutoffs were identified as 2.61 for differentiating the higher NLR group from lower NLR group. Elevated NLR levels significantly correlated with increased all-cause mortality (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.07–1.14, P