Work

Prognostic associations of systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) in patients with head and neck cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Year: 2026

Type: review

Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis

Abstract: BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Inflammation and immune evasion are linked to tumor progression. This cancer-related inflammatory response is reflected by a biomarker named the systemic inflammatory response (SIRI). SIRI is calculated by multiplying the peripheral blood neutrophil and monocyte counts and dividing by the lymphocyte count is a biomarker that has shown prognostic capacity in squamous cell head and neck cancer. We sought to perform a meta-analysis of SIRI data for head and neck cancer. METHODS: A meta-analysis using a mixed-effects model was performed to estimate the overall effect size of prognostic capacity. The primary outcomes of interest were overall survival and progression-free survival, with effect sizes measured as log hazard ratios (HR). RESULTS: Ten studies reporting data on overall survival revealed a pooled HR of 2.4 (p < 0.0001). This indicates higher SIRI patients are at greater risk of mortality relative to lower SIRI patients. Additionally, 3 studies reported metrics on progression-free survival, with a pooled HR of 2.32 (1.72, 3.13) (p < 0.0001). Minimal heterogeneity was observed for progression-free survival (I2 = 0%, p< 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: High SIRI portends worse overall survival. Since SIRI correlates to immune function and demonstrated minimal heterogeneity, these factors are among those most likely to be impacted by altered SIRI parameters.

Source: Oral Oncology

DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2026.107859