Objective:

To explore the predictive value and prognosis of peripheral blood cells for the efficacy of neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), highlighting its significance in improving treatment strategies.

Key Findings:

• Peripheral blood cell profiles, including neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), may predict treatment response, with statistical significance to be detailed.
• High pretreatment red cell distribution width correlates with poor survival outcomes, warranting further investigation.
• Postoperative pathological complete response (PCR) was used to evaluate therapeutic response, indicating a potential benchmark for future studies.

Interpretation:

The study suggests that specific blood cell profiles can serve as potential biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in ESCC patients, emphasizing the need for clinical application.

Limitations:

• The study is retrospective and may have selection bias, particularly in patient recruitment.
• Limited sample size may affect the generalizability of the findings, necessitating larger cohort studies.
• Lack of long-term follow-up data to assess overall survival and recurrence, highlighting the need for extended research.

Conclusion:

Blood cell profiles could be valuable indicators for predicting treatment outcomes in ESCC patients undergoing neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy, underscoring the importance of further validation.