In particular, the correlation between H-NLR and the presence of systemic metastases can be explained by the fact that a high neutrophil count was found in our CRC patients, and these blood cells actively release cytokines and circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), two molecules deeply involved in angiogenesis, cancer growth and metastasis32. The gene discussed is VEGFA; the disease is colorectal carcinoma.