AbstractBackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the prognostic effect of LMR in NPC through meta‐analysis.MethodsThe prognostic value of LMR for overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS)/progression‐free survival (PFS) was evaluated by pooling hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The association between LMR and clinicopathological characteristics was estimated by using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs.ResultsA total of 7 studies with 3773 patients were included in this meta‐analysis. The results showed that a low LMR was associated with poor OS (HR = 1.94, 95%CI = 1.71–2.20, p < 0.001) and reduced DFS/PFS (HR = 1.51, 95%CI = 1.23–1.85, p < 0.001) in NPC. Furthermore, a low LMR was significantly associated with male sex (OR = 1.34, 95%CI = 1.12–1.59, p = 0.001), T3‐T4 stage (OR = 1.58, 95%CI = 1.02–2.45, p = 0.040), and tumor stage III‐IV (OR = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.22–1.95, p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur study indicated that a low LMR was correlated with poor survival and advanced tumor stage in patients with NPC.