This blood test estimates your body’s inflammatory-immune balance, which can influence how cancers start, progress, or respond to therapy. Superpower tests your blood for NLR (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio), PLR (platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio), SII (systemic immune-inflammation index), and SIRI (systemic inflammation response index). These indices come from a standard complete blood count and reflect the interplay between innate immunity (neutrophils, platelets, monocytes) and adaptive immunity (lymphocytes). Higher values generally indicate more systemic inflammation or immune suppression, while lower values suggest a more balanced immune tone. They are not diagnostic of cancer on their own, but they add context to overall disease biology and prognosis when combined with clinical findings.

It gives a quick, objective read on systemic inflammation and immune balance using routine blood counts. In oncology, higher NLR, PLR, SII, and SIRI are associated with worse outcomes in many cancers, while lower values often track with better control. Outside cancer care, these measures can help flag non-specific inflammation that may merit context. Superpower reports NLR, PLR, SII, and SIRI together so you can see how neutrophils, platelets, monocytes, and lymphocytes are interacting. The value is in trend and context, not a single number.

Yes. With Superpower, our team member can organise a blood draw in your home.

There is no universal schedule. These indices are commonly checked whenever routine labs are drawn. During active cancer care or surveillance, they are often reviewed at the same cadence as clinic visits, typically every 4–12 weeks. If you are establishing a baseline, one test when you are well is useful, with repeats to track trend. When you are acutely ill, results can be temporarily distorted, so avoid overinterpreting a single spike. Superpower can align testing with your existing lab timetable.

Many non-cancer factors shift these indices. Acute infections, recent surgery, trauma, or vaccinations can raise neutrophils and platelets. Corticosteroids, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation change white cell subsets. Iron deficiency or bleeding increases platelets. Smoking, obesity, chronic inflammatory or autoimmune disease, stress, strenuous exercise, dehydration, and pregnancy alter counts. Splenectomy and some hematologic conditions also affect baselines. Because NLR, PLR, SII, and SIRI are ratios built from routine counts, any condition that moves neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, or platelets can move the indices—often transiently.

No special fasting is required. Aim to be well hydrated, avoid unusually strenuous exercise for 24 hours, and try to test when you are not acutely ill. Take medicines as prescribed, but let us know about steroids or other drugs that affect blood counts. If possible, keep the time of day consistent between tests, since white cell counts follow mild circadian patterns. Superpower calculates NLR, PLR, SII, and SIRI from the same tube as your complete blood count, so no extra blood is usually needed.

Yes. Systemic inflammation tracks with overall metabolic and immune stress. Changes in weight, smoking exposure, physical activity, sleep, alcohol use, and chronic stress can shift neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and platelets, and therefore NLR, PLR, SII, and SIRI. Improvements tend to lower inflammatory tone over time, while ongoing stressors can raise it. These shifts are usually gradual and are best judged by repeated measurements rather than a single test.

Think in physiology, not absolutes. Higher NLR, PLR, SII, or SIRI generally means more neutrophil/platelet/monocyte activity relative to lymphocytes—systemic inflammation with relative immune suppression. Lower values suggest a more balanced immune profile. Reference intervals vary by lab and population, and acute illness can transiently distort results. Trends over time matter more than one data point, especially when measured on days you feel well. These indices are not diagnostic of cancer; they are context markers that gain meaning alongside your diagnosis, imaging, pathology, and other labs. Superpower reports all four so you can compare patterns consistently.