Performance status and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio are important prognostic factors in elderly patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer

Globally, pancreatic cancer (PC) is considered to be the seventh most prevalent cause of cancer-related death (1). It was estimated that approximately 39,590 patients in the United States will die of this disease in 2014 (2). In Japan, more than 33,000 cases are diagnosed annually, with the majority of patients dying as a result of the disease, culminating in an estimated 30,600 deaths. The mortality rates closely follow incidence rates because of poor prognosis (3)