Evaluation of White Blood Cell Ratios in Newly Diagnosed Multicentric Lymphoma in Dogs.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Lymphoma is one of the most common malignancies in dogs. In human medicine, complete blood count (CBC)-derived inflammatory ratios, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), have been investigated as potential biomarkers in cancer. However, studies evaluating these parameters in canine lymphoma are limited. This study aimed to compare NLR, MLR and PLR values between dogs diagnosed with lymphoma and healthy controls. METHODS: A total of 26 dogs with lymphoma and 10 clinically healthy dogs were included. CBC parameters were analysed, and NLR, MLR and PLR were calculated. RESULTS: NLR and PLR values were significantly higher in dogs with lymphoma compared to healthy dogs, whereas MLR decreased. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that CBC-derived inflammatory ratios, particularly NLR and PLR, are elevated in dogs with lymphoma and may reflect tumour-associated systemic inflammation. Further studies are needed to evaluate their potential clinical utility.