Surreal image of a blood drop transforming into a flower, symbolizing hope in cancer treatment.

Can a Simple Blood Test Predict Breast Cancer Treatment Success?

Jordan Keane in Health & Wellness July 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research highlights how the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in a standard blood test could help personalize chemotherapy for luminal-type breast cancer."

Breast cancer is a complex disease with different subtypes, each responding uniquely to treatments. Luminal breast cancer, a major subtype, still presents challenges in achieving consistently positive outcomes, driving the search for more refined treatment strategies.

Recent advances in cancer immunology have illuminated the critical role of the body's immune system in cancer development and progression. This has opened doors to immunomodulating therapies and a deeper understanding of how the immune system can influence the response to traditional treatments like chemotherapy.

Now, a new study investigates whether routinely measured components in blood, like the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), can act as predictive markers in luminal breast cancer. The goal is to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from specific chemotherapy regimens, bringing personalized medicine closer to reality.

LMR: A Window into Chemotherapy Response

Surreal image of a blood drop transforming into a flower, symbolizing hope in cancer treatment.

This study, involving 259 patients with luminal breast cancer, examined the potential of various blood-based markers to predict how well patients would respond to chemotherapy. The research team focused on the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), a simple calculation derived from a standard blood test.

The study revealed a significant link between LMR and disease-free survival (DFS). Patients with a higher LMR (≥5.2) showed significantly longer DFS compared to those with a lower LMR. This suggests that LMR could serve as a valuable prognostic indicator.

LMR Cutoff: A value of 5.2 was identified as the optimal threshold for distinguishing between favorable and less favorable prognoses in luminal breast cancer patients.
Chemotherapy Regimen: Patients with a high LMR (≥5.2) who received a CEF (cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil) chemotherapy regimen experienced better outcomes than those on a TAC (paclitaxel, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide) regimen.
5-Fluorouracil Sensitivity: Further investigation showed that 5-FU, a component of the CEF regimen, may play a key role, as it was found to enhance the expression of FAS, a protein involved in programmed cell death, in breast cancer cells.

Multivariate analysis confirmed that LMR was an independent prognostic factor for DFS, alongside lymph node status and the type of chemotherapy regimen used. This indicates that LMR provides unique information about a patient's likely outcome, beyond what other standard clinical factors can tell us.

Personalizing Breast Cancer Treatment

This research suggests that LMR could be a valuable tool in personalizing treatment decisions for women with luminal breast cancer. By incorporating LMR into the assessment, doctors may be able to better predict which patients will benefit most from specific chemotherapy regimens.

The finding that 5-FU may enhance the expression of FAS, potentially making cancer cells more susceptible to cell death, offers a promising avenue for further research. It suggests that understanding the interplay between chemotherapy drugs and the immune system could lead to more effective treatment strategies.

While these results are encouraging, it's important to remember that this was a single-center study. Further research is needed to validate these findings in larger, more diverse populations and to fully understand the mechanisms by which LMR influences chemotherapy response. However, this study represents a significant step forward in the quest to tailor breast cancer treatment to the individual patient, maximizing the chances of success.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.18632/oncotarget.8993, Alternate LINK

Title: The Prognostic And Predictive Value Of The Lymphocyte To Monocyte Ratio In Luminal-Type Breast Cancer Patients Treated With Cef Chemotherapy

Subject: Oncology

Journal: Oncotarget

Publisher: Impact Journals, LLC

Authors: Hongfei Ji, Qijia Xuan, Caichuan Yan, Tao Liu, Abiyasi Nanding, Qingyuan Zhang

Published: 2016-04-26

Everything You Need To Know

What does the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) indicate, and how is it relevant to breast cancer treatment?

The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, or LMR, is a calculation derived from a standard blood test that reflects the balance between lymphocytes and monocytes in the blood. In the context of luminal breast cancer, LMR is investigated as a potential predictive marker for how well patients respond to chemotherapy. A higher LMR (≥5.2) has been associated with longer disease-free survival, suggesting that the immune system's composition plays a role in treatment outcomes. It's important to note that LMR is just one factor among many that influence cancer treatment success, and further research is needed to fully understand its implications and applications. Future research needs to explore the connection of LMR and other types of cancers.

How does the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) cutoff of 5.2 impact treatment decisions and outcomes for individuals with luminal breast cancer?

The study found that a lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) cutoff value of 5.2 was significant. Luminal breast cancer patients with an LMR at or above this threshold (≥5.2) experienced more favorable prognoses than those with lower LMR values. Additionally, patients with a high LMR (≥5.2) who were treated with a CEF (cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil) chemotherapy regimen had better outcomes compared to those treated with a TAC (paclitaxel, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide) regimen. This suggests that LMR could help differentiate which chemotherapy regimen is likely to be more effective for individual patients.

What role does 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) play in chemotherapy response, particularly in relation to FAS protein expression in breast cancer cells?

The research indicates that 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a component of the CEF chemotherapy regimen, may enhance the expression of FAS, a protein involved in programmed cell death, within breast cancer cells. This is crucial because FAS activation can trigger apoptosis, or cell death, in cancer cells. The link between 5-FU, FAS expression, and cell death suggests a mechanism by which the CEF regimen might be particularly effective in patients with a high lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR).

Besides the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), what other factors are crucial in determining the prognosis and treatment for luminal breast cancer?

While lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) shows promise, lymph node status and the specific chemotherapy regimen used also remain critical factors in determining prognosis and treatment decisions. The study emphasizes that LMR provides unique prognostic information independent of these standard clinical factors. This suggests that LMR could complement existing methods for risk stratification and treatment planning, potentially leading to more informed and personalized decisions. Additional factors that were not explored include the stage and grade of the tumor, as well as patient-specific characteristics like age and overall health.

How can incorporating the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) into treatment strategies improve personalized care for individuals with luminal breast cancer?

By incorporating the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) into the assessment process, doctors can potentially better predict which luminal breast cancer patients are likely to benefit most from specific chemotherapy regimens. For instance, patients with a high LMR might be preferentially treated with a CEF regimen, while those with a low LMR could be considered for alternative therapies or clinical trials. This approach aims to minimize exposure to ineffective treatments and maximize the chances of achieving a positive outcome, thereby improving patient care and quality of life. However, widespread implementation would require further validation in larger, more diverse populations and clinical trials.