The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and immunosuppressive acidic protein may be useful parameters for predicting depression among middle-aged patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Background: Patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) may experience depression. Growing evidence shows that depression interacts with immunity. However, the relationship between depression and immunity among DLBCL patients has not been investigated, despite reports indicating that patients with DLBCL often suffer from depression.

Methods: To accurately investigate the relationship between depression and immunity, 82 primarily diagnosed middle-aged patients with DLBCL who received standard chemotherapy were enrolled. The patients were divided into depressed and nondepressed groups according to Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores. Prozac was used to treat patients with depression until their symptoms were alleviated. The concentration of immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP); percentages of cluster of differentiation (CD)3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T lymphocytes and CD56+ natural killer (NK) cells; absolute lymphocyte count (ALC); and neutrophil--lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were calculated at enrollment and after treatment.

Results: A higher score on the depression test was positively associated with serum IAP levels and NLR, and negatively associated with ALC. The levels of NLR and serum IAP in the depressed patients were significantly higher compared to those in the nondepressed patients.

Conclusions: Our results suggest for the first time that IAP and the NLR are closely correlated with depression and may be parameters for predicting depression.