Objective: The prognostic function of inflammation index as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in colorectal cancer (CRC)remains controversial.We conducted this meta-analysis to determine the predicting value of NLR in the outcome of CRC patients.Methods: A meta-analysis of 12 studies (15 cohorts) was performed to evaluate the association between NLR and overall survival (OS),as well as progression-free survival (PFS), in CRC patients.In addition, the relationship between NLR and clinicopathological parameters was assessed.Hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR)with 95％ confidence interval (CI) was used as the effect size estimate.