Jones HG, et al. - Whether pre-operative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has a role in predicting post-operative septic complications in patients undergoing rectal cancer surgery was investigated. From July 2007 to Dec 2015, consecutive patients undergoing scheduled resection for rectal cancer in a tertiary centre were involved. It was observed that the pre-operative NLR and platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were both predictive of major post-operative septic complications. In rectal cancer surgery, a pre-operative NLR of less than 4 was strongly negative predictor of post-operative complications and it can be regarded as a predictive and prognostic factor for these patients.