Decreased mean platelet volume predicts poor prognosis in invasive bladder cancer

The incidence rate of allergic reactions induced by oxaliplatin is higher in patients with rectal cancer compared with colon cancer

AIM

To explore the diverse profiles of adverse reactions caused by oxaliplatin between colon and rectal cancer, we investigated the toxicity of oxaliplatin in patients with colon and rectal cancer.

METHODS

From January 2017 to December 2021, 200 cases of sporadic CRC patients with adverse reactions after oxaliplatin were collected from Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China. All patients received a chemotherapy regimen containing oxaliplatin (100 colon cancer and 100 rectal cancer). We reviewed the adverse reactions induced by oxaliplatin in patients with colon and rectal cancer.

RESULTS

We found there was no significant difference in gastrointestinal toxicity, hematotoxicity, neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, and cardiotoxicity caused by oxaliplatin between patients with colon cancer and patients with rectal cancer, but patients with rectal cancer were more prone to allergic reactions than patients with colon cancer after oxaliplatin. In addition, we found neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios (PLR) were higher in patients with colon cancer than in patients with rectal cancer. This may reflect differences in immune status and inflammatory responses between colon cancer and rectal cancer, which might be the reason for more allergic reactions caused by oxaliplatin in colon cancer patients compared to rectal cancer patients.

CONCLUSION

Except for a higher incidence of allergic reactions in patients with rectal cancer, no significant difference in the incidence of adverse drug reactions associated with oxaliplatin was noted between patients with colon cancer and rectal cancer. Our results suggested more attention should be paid to the allergic reaction caused by oxaliplatin in patients with colon cancer.

Improving platelet-RNA-based diagnostics: a comparative analysis of machine learning models for cancer detection and multiclass classification

Liquid biopsy demonstrates excellent potential in patient management by providing a minimally invasive and cost-effective approach to detecting and monitoring cancer, even at its early stages. Due to the complexity of liquid biopsy data, machine-learning techniques are increasingly gaining attention in sample analysis, especially for multidimensional data such as RNA expression profiles. Yet, there is no agreement in the community on which methods are the most effective or how to process the data. To circumvent this, we performed a large-scale study using various machine-learning techniques. First, we took a closer look at existing datasets and filtered out some patients to assert data collection quality. The final data collection included platelet RNA samples acquired from 1397 cancer patients (17 types of cancer) and 354 asymptomatic, presumed healthy, donors. Then, we assessed an array of different machine-learning models and techniques (e.g., feature selection of RNA transcripts) in pan-cancer detection and multiclass classification. Our results show that simple logistic regression performs the best, reaching a 68% cancer detection rate at a 99% specificity level, and multiclass classification accuracy of 79.38% when distinguishing between five cancer types. In summary, by revisiting classical machine-learning models, we have exceeded the previously used method by 5% and 9.65% in cancer detection and multiclass classification, respectively. To ease further research, we open-source our code and data processing pipelines (https://gitlab.com/jopekmaksym/improving-platelet-rna-based-diagnostics), which we hope will serve the community as a strong baseline.

The use of platelets as a clinical tool in oncology: opportunities and challenges

Platelets are small circulating anucleated cells mainly involved in thrombosis and hemostasis processes. Moreover, platelets play an active role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression, stimulating angiogenesis and vascular remodelling, and protecting circulating cancer cells from shear forces and immune surveillance. Several reports indicate that platelet number in the blood circulation of cancer patients is associated with prognosis and response to treatment. However, the mechanisms of platelets "education" by cancer cells and the crosstalk between platelets and tumor are still unclear, and the role of "tumor educated platelets" (TEPs) is achieving growing interest in cancer research. TEPs are a biological source of cancer-derived biomarkers, especially RNAs that are protected by platelets membrane from circulating RNases, and could serve as a non-invasive tool for tumor detection, molecular profiling and evolution during therapy in clinical practice. Moreover, short platelet lifespan offers the possibility to get a snapshot assessment of cancer molecular profile, providing a real-time tool. We review and discuss the potential and the clinical utility, in terms of cancer diagnosis and monitoring, of platelet count together with other morphological parameters and of the more recent and innovative TEP profiling.

The utility of systemic immune inflammatory index in discriminating between gallbladder cancer and xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis: A single-tertiary center experience

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) and gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) are rare diseases with several similarities. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of the systemic immune inflammatory index (SII), a novel index that more accurately depicts inflammatory and immunological balance, in distinguishing between XGC and GBC. This retrospective study included 33 XGC, 22 GBC patients diagnosed according to histopathological findings and 33 age-sex-matched healthy controls at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, General Surgery Department. The demographic, clinical and laboratory findings were recorded. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, platelet to lymphocyte ratio, monocyte to lymphocyte ratio and SII were calculated from preoperative complete blood count parameters. The receiver operating characteristic curve was performed to evaluate the utility of SII in differentiating GBC and XGC. A P value < .05 was accepted as statistically significant. The preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, monocyte to lymphocyte ratio, platelet to lymphocyte ratio and SII were significantly higher in patients with GBC compared to XGC patients and healthy controls (P < .001, P = .001, P = .001, P < .001, respectively). When receiver operating characteristic analysis was made, the optimal cutoff value of SII was 640 for differential diagnosis of XGC and GBC preoperatively with a sensitivity of 77.3% and a specificity of 66.7%, among which the positive likelihood ratio was 2.32, and Youden index was 0.44 (P = .006). The positive predictive value was 60.7%, the negative predictive value was 81.5%, and the diagnostic accuracy was 79.9%. SII may be a valuable, practical, and affordable method to differentiate between XGC and GBC, in addition to clinical and radiological signs, prior to surgery. When supported by prospective trials with a larger study population, distinguishing GBC from XGC using SII preoperatively may lead to a change in the management practice of GBC.

Relation of Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) with Cancer: A Systematic Review with a Focus on Disease Outcome on Twelve Types of Cancer

Inflammatory proteins activate platelets, which have been observed to be directly related to cancer progression and development. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the possible association between Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) and cancer (diagnostic capacity of MPV, relation to survival, the severity of the disease, and metastasis). A literature review was performed in the online database PubMed and Google Scholar for the period of 2010–2022. In total, 83 studies including 21,034 participants with 12 different types of cancer (i.e., gastric cancer, colon cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, renal cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, gallbladder cancer, and multiple myeloma) were identified. The role of MPV has been extensively investigated in several types of cancer, such as gastric, colon, breast, and lung cancer, while few data exist for other types, such as renal, gallbladder cancer, and multiple myeloma. Most studies in gastric, breast, endometrium, thyroid, and lung cancer documented an elevated MPV in cancer patients. Data were less clear-cut for esophageal, ovarian, and colon cancer, while reduced MPV was observed in renal cell carcinoma and gallbladder cancer. Several studies on colon cancer (4 out of 6) and fewer on lung cancer (4 out of 10) indicated an unfavorable role of increased MPV regarding mortality. As far as other cancer types are concerned, fewer studies were conducted. MPV can be used as a potential biomarker in cancer diagnosis and could be a useful tool for the optimization of treatment strategies. Possible underlying mechanisms between cancer and MPV are discussed. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the exact role of MPV in cancer progression and metastasis.

The different predictive value of mean platelet volume-to-lymphocyte ratio for postoperative recurrence between non-muscular invasive bladder cancer patients treated with intravesical chemotherapy and intravesical chemohyperthermia

Introduction

The inflammatory response plays a potential role in postoperative recurrence in patients with non-muscular invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). We aimed to investigate whether platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume to lymphocyte ratio (MPVLR), and the systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) have prognostic values in NMIBC treated with conventional intravesical chemotherapy or intravesical Chemohyperthermia (CHT) and the differences between them.

Materials and methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 222 patients with NMIBC treated with Intravesical Chemotherapy or Intravesical CHT between January 2016 and December 2020. Within a week before surgery, PLR, MPVLR, and SII were determined based on routine blood settling. The optimal cutoff value of each index was determined using the receiver operating characteristic curve, and various groups were categorized accordingly. The factors influencing the prognosis of NMIBC patients receiving various treatments were investigated using the Kaplan- Meier survival curve and the Cox regression model.

Results

69 cases (46.3%) in the gemcitabine (GEM) group had tumor recurrence and 19 (12.8%) of them progressed to muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) or got metastasis, while 19 cases (26.0%) in the CHT group recurred and 2 (2.7%) progressed. Elevated PLR, MPVLR, and SII were associated with higher recurrence rates in the GEM group. Meanwhile, PLR and MPVLR were the independent risk factors. While in the CHT group, high PLR and SII were related to postoperative recurrence and none of them were independent risk factors.

Conclusion

The preoperative clinical inflammatory indexes PLR, SII, and MPVLR have certain predictive value for the postoperative recurrence-free survival (RFS) in NMIBC patients treated with intravesical chemotherapy while PLR and SII can predict the prognosis of NMIBC patients treated with intravesical CHT, which indicates that intravesical CHT may stop tumor recurrence by influencing the effect of mean platelet volume on tumor growth through some unknown mechanisms.

Prognostic value of preoperative platelet-related parameters and plasma fibrinogen in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer after transurethral resection of bladder tumor

Aim: To investigate the prognostic value of preoperative mean platelet volume (MPV), MPV/lymphocyte ratio (MPVLR), MPV/platelet count ratio and plasma fibrinogen in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). Methods: A total of 371 patients who underwent TURBT were enrolled. The main end points were disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: MPVLR, tumor size, tumor number and pathological grade were independent risk factors for postoperative DFS. Age and pathological grade were independent risk factors for postoperative OS. Conclusion: MPVLR is an independent risk factor for DFS in NMIBC patients and could be used as a parameter to predict postoperative tumor recurrence in patients after TURBT.

Associations of Complete Blood Count Parameters with Disease-Free Survival in Right- and Left-Sided Colorectal Cancer Patients

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Some complete blood count (CBC) parameters are found to be associated with CRC prognosis. In this study, ninety-seven pretreated CRC patients were included, and the patients were divided into two groups: left-sided and right-sided, depending on the anatomical location of the tumor. Based on clinicopathologic features including tumor budding, disease stages, and tumor anatomical location, levels of CBC parameters were compared, and disease-free survivals (DFS) were determined. There were differences between patients with different tumor budding scores for only three parameters, including red cell distribution width (RDW), numbers of platelets, and mean platelet volume (MPV). Furthermore, numbers of WBCs, monocytes, and MPV in CRC patients with early disease stages were higher than those with advanced stages. However, levels of eosinophil in CRC patients with advanced stages were higher than those with early stages. Depending on the tumor anatomical location, we observed that numbers of red blood cells (RBCs), hemoglobin (Hgb), and hematocrit (Hct) in CRC patients with left-sided tumors were higher than those with right-sided tumors. We found that low levels of MPV were associated with shorter DFS. However, high levels of eosinophils were associated with shorter DFS in all CRC patients. When patients were divided based on the tumor anatomical location, higher levels of MPV, MCHC, and Hgb were associated with better DFS in the left-sided but not right-sided CRC patients. However, left-sided, but not right-sided, CRC patients with high levels of eosinophil and RDW had shorter DFS. Furthermore, right-sided, but not left-sided, CRC patients with high levels of platelets tended to have a shorter DFS. Our data show that MPV and eosinophils could serve as potential prognostic biomarkers in pre-treatment CRC patients, regardless of the tumor anatomical location. Additionally, lower levels of MPV, MCHC, and Hgb, and high levels of eosinophils and RDW could be negative predictive biomarkers in left-sided CRC patients.

Intratumoral Platelets: Harmful or Incidental Bystanders of the Tumor Microenvironment?

Simple Summary

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is the complex and heterogenous ecosystem of solid tumors known to influence their growth and their progression. Besides tumor cells, the TME comprises a variety of host-derived cell types, ranging from endothelial cells to fibroblasts and immune cells. Clinical and experimental data are converging to indicate that platelets, originally known for their fundamental hemostatic function, also participate in tumor development and shaping of the TME. Considering the abundance of antiplatelet drugs, understanding if and how platelets contribute to the TME may lead to new therapeutic tools for improved cancer prevention and treatments.

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) has gained considerable interest because of its decisive impact on cancer progression, response to treatment, and disease recurrence. The TME can favor the proliferation, dissemination, and immune evasion of cancer cells. Likewise, there is accumulating evidence that intratumoral platelets could favor the development and aggressiveness of solid tumors, notably by influencing tumor cell phenotype and shaping the vascular and immune TME components. Yet, in contrast to other tumor-associated cell types like macrophages and fibroblasts, platelets are still often overlooked as components of the TME. This might be due, in part, to a deficit in investigating and reporting the presence of platelets in the TME and its relationships with cancer characteristics. This review summarizes available evidence from clinical and animal studies supporting the notion that tumor-associated platelets are not incidental bystanders but instead integral and active components of the TME. A particular emphasis is given to the description of intratumoral platelets, as well as to the functional consequences and possible mechanisms of intratumoral platelet accumulation.

Prognostic significance of mean platelet volume in patients with lung cancer: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The mean platelet volume (MPV) is a measure of platelet size, and it is considered a surrogate marker of platelet activation. Because the correlation between platelet count/size and lung cancer prognosis remains unclear, this meta-analysis comprehensively evaluated the prognostic significance of MPV among patients with lung cancer.

METHODS

A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and additional sources of relevant studies were conducted with no language restrictions from inception to 7 May 2021. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS)/progression-free survival (PFS), as well as their hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were pooled to evaluate the relationship between MPV and survival. The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO.

RESULTS

Eleven studies involving 2421 patients with lung cancer were included in our analysis. Nine studies including only patients with non-small cell lung cancer were included in the meta-analysis. Our analysis revealed no significant associations of MPV with OS (HR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.84-1.41) and DFS/PFS (HR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.58-2.20).

CONCLUSION

Pretreatment MPV levels did not display prognostic significance in patients with NSCLC. Large-scale prospective studies and a validation study considering ethnicity and lung cancer staging are warranted.

Preoperative Thrombocytosis is Not Associated with Overall Survival in 309 Glioblastoma Patients

BACKGROUND

 In recent years, a correlation of thrombocytosis and a worse prognosis was shown for many solid cancers, including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

METHODS

 A retrospective review was performed for all patients with a histologically proven and first-diagnosed GBM between 2005 and 2015 in our department. Clinical and paraclinical parameters were acquired from patient documentation and structured for subsequent data analysis. The association of potential risk factors with overall survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression.

RESULTS

 The present study includes 309 patients first diagnosed with primary GBM. Our analyses validate well-known risk factors of a decreased overall survival such as higher patient age, a larger preoperative tumor volume, Karnofsky performance status, extent of resection, tumor localization, and adjuvant treatment. However, no correlation was observed between a preoperative thrombocytosis, the mean platelet volume, leucocyte count, activated partial thromboplastin time (apTT), fibrinogen level, and acetylsalicylic acid 100 co-medication. Patients with preoperative hemoglobin below 7.5 mmol/L had decreased overall survival.

CONCLUSION

 The present study, enrolling the largest numbers of patients assessing this topic to date, did not find any association between a preoperative thrombocytosis and overall survival in 309 patients with GBM.

Prognostic Value of Preoperative Mean Platelet Volume and a Predictive Nomogram in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Based on Real-World Data

Objective

We aimed to identify new prognostic factors of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) among platelet-related parameters, establish a survival prediction model to predict the survival status of OSCC patients, and analyze the therapeutic effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on OSCC patients on the basis of real-world data.

Materials and Methods

The real-world data of patients with OSCC confirmed by pathologic examination at Cancer Hospital from January 2011 to January 2015 and May 2017 to January 2020 were collected. We analyzed clinicopathologic factors using a Cox regression analysis, the Kaplan-Meier method, and propensity score matching (PSM).

Results

The multivariate Cox regression analysis of not only validated the traditional prognostic factors such as tumor site, neural invasion, poor differentiation, and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage but also identified a new prognostic factor, preoperative mean platelet volume (MPV) for overall survival (OS, HR, 0.47; 95% CI: 0.25–0.89, P = 0.020). A nomogram was created to predict the probability of 3-year and 5-year OS. We found that neoadjuvant chemotherapy improved OS in patients with OSCC.

Conclusion

Preoperative MPV, being associated with female, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and advanced stage (Stage III and IV), may be a new prognostic factor for OS of patients with OSCC. The nomograms provided useful prediction for OS in OSCC patients. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy may improve the OS of patients with OSCC.

Prognostic significance of the preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio patients with giant cell tumor of bone

Objective

To evaluate the prognostic significance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in giant cell tumor of bone (GCT).

Methods

The patients with GCT were identified in the hospital records and pre-treatment complete blood count results were acquired retrospectively. Whether preoperative NLR lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) values had prognostic significance in predicting recurrence was evaluated by Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis. Furthermore, the prognostic value of NLR was evaluated by Multivariable Cox Regression analysis.

Results

There were 96 patients with GCT. It was found that only NLR values had prognostic significance for predicting recurrence (AUC:0.647; 95% CI:0.533–0.762; P=0.021). The statistically significant cut-off value of NLR for predicting recurrence was ≥2.25. NLR was ≥2.25 in 51% (n = 49) of patients. Multivariable analysis showed that NLR ≥2.25 (HR=2.9, 95% CI:1.3–6.6; p=0.009) and lung metastasis (HR=7.9, 95% CI:2.2–28.2; p=0.001) were independent factors of recurrence. In patients with lung metastasis and patients with NLR ≥2.25, recurrence was observed in a sooner period (Log rank test; p=0.001; p=0.009, respectively).

Conclusion

Our findings showed that NLR is a new and promising inflammation-based prognostic factor in GCT patients.

The Role of Hematological Inflammatory Biomarkers in the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer and in Predicting TNM Stage

OBJECTIVE

The aim of study is to investigate whether hematological inflammatory biomarkers could be useful to detect patients with lung cancer.

METHODS

The contribution of hematological biomarkers to the diagnosis of lung cancer and prediction of TNM was examined.

RESULTS

NLR, PLR, MPV values were found to be higher in patients with lung cancer (all p < .001). NLR and PLR were found to be high, MPV was found to be lower in disease of advanced stage (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that NLR, PLR and MPV values were significantly higher in patients with lung cancer.

Prognostic value of preoperative inflammation markers in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

PURPOSE

To investigate the prediction values of the preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume (MPV) and red cell distribution width (RDW) for recurrence and progression of patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

METHODS

In this prospective study, 94 consecutive patients newly diagnosed with NMIBC between July 2017 and August 2018 were included. The blood samples were collected from patients before transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURB) and NLR, LMR, PLR, RDW and MPV values were calculated. The effect of these preoperative inflammatory parameters and other clinicopathological parameters on recurrence and progression rates was evaluated. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify significant prognostic variables.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up was 11 ± 6.4 months. Recurrence was observed in 35.1% and progression was detected in 7.4% of the patients. NLR was statistically significantly associated with both recurrence (P = .01) and progression (P = .035), whereas LMR was only associated with recurrence (P = .038). In the survival analyses, the relationship between recurrence and LMR was confirmed in both univariate (P = .021) and multivariate (P = .022) analyses. The relationship between NLR and recurrence was confirmed in univariate analysis (P = .019); however; in multivariate analysis, it was found to be statistically insignificant (P = .051).

CONCLUSIONS

LMR might be an easy obtainable, non-invasive and cost-effective method for predicting recurrence of disease in patients with NMIBC.

Economical and easily detectable markers of digestive tumors: platelet parameters

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical values of platelet parameters in patients with digestive tumors. Patients & methods: A total of 974 people were classified into three groups: malignant group, patients with digestive malignant tumors; benign group, patients with benign tumors; and normal group: healthy individuals. Results: Compared with the benign and normal groups, the malignant group showed significantly increased platelet count (PLT) and plateletcrit (PCT) and significantly reduced mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet-large cell rate (P-LCR, p < 0.001). Elevated PLT and PCT and reduced MPV and P-LCR indicated poor overall survival in patients with digestive tumors. Conclusion: PLT, PCT, MPV and P-LCR were proven to be predictive biomarkers for patients with digestive malignant tumors. Elevated PLT and PCT or decreased MPV and P-LCR indicated poor overall survival.

Prognostic value of platelet-associated biomarkers in rectal cancer patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiation: A retrospective study

PURPOSE

Platelet volume has been shown to prognostic value in patients with colorectal cancer. However, the changes of other platelet-associated biomarkers in rectal cancer patients, before and after the neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (NACRT), remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of platelet-associated biomarkers in rectal cancer patients with NACRT.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 75 patients with locally advanced (T3-4 or N+) rectal cancer (LARC) cancer were selected and followed up from the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University between June 2013 and September 2016. The data of platelet-associated biomarkers, including the platelet count, platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW) both pre- and post- NACRT, were collected. The associations between these platelet-associated biomarkers and the overall survival (OS), as well as disease-free survival (DFS) of patients, were analysed. Patients were divided into groups with high or low values of the platelet-associated biomarkers, and the outcomes were compared by using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis.

RESULTS

We found that pre-PLR (HR: 4.104; 95%CI: 1.411-11.421; P=0.009) and pre-LMR (HR: 0.384; 95%CI: 0.124-1.185; P=0.066) could predict the OS in LARC patients after NACRT by multivariate Cox regression analysis, a cut-off value of pre-PLR>7.02 and pre-LMR ≤7.10 could be used as independent prognostic factors for OS by Kaplan-Meier method. The pre-MPV value could be used as an independent prognostic factor for DFS by Kaplan-Meier analysis (P=0.037). Moreover, post-CEA was correlated with OS and DFS in LARC patients with NACRT.

CONCLUSION

In LARC patients with NACRT, the pre-PLR and pre-LMR are independent prognostic factors for OS, while pre-MPV has predictive value for DFS.

Diagnostic and prognostic role of mean platelet volume and mean platelet volume/platelet ratio in the most common soft tissue sarcomas

Objectives

This study aims to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic role of mean platelet volume (MPV) and MPV/platelet (PLT) ratio in the most common soft tissue sarcomas.

Patients and methods

We retrospectively investigated 131 patients (76 males, 55 females; mean age: 51.8±17.1; range, 18 to 87 years) with soft-tissue sarcomas between January 2011 and January 2019. Demographic features, MPV, PLT counts, mortality, and recurrence records of the patients were obtained from archives. A total of 165 healthy volunteers (101 males, 64 females; mean age 52.9±4.1; range, 18 to 60 years) who applied to the outpatient clinic in 2019 and had routine blood control without any additional disease formed the control group.

Results

A total of 55 patients were diagnosed with liposarcoma and 76 with pleomorphic sarcoma. Of the tumors, 77.1% were located in the lower limbs. Lesions were mostly localized on the thigh 48.8% (n=64). Recurrence occurred in 28.2% of the patients. A total of 25 (19.1%) patients were exitus. The mean follow-up period of the patients was 34.4±19.1 (range, 9 to 112) months. The mean PLT value of the patient group was significantly higher than the control group. The median MPV and MPV/PLT ratio were statistically significantly lower in the patient group than in the control group. The MPV and MPV/PLT ratio were not associated with mortality and recurrence.

Conclusion

As a result, MPV and MPV/PLT ratio can be used as a diagnostic support parameter in soft tissue sarcomas, but have no prognostic value.

Decreased mean platelet volume predicts poor prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer

Background

Decreased mean platelet volume (MPV) predicts poor prognosis in some cancers. However, its significance as a prognostic indicator in pancreatic cancer (PC) remains unclear.

Methods

A total of 91 PC patients who underwent pancreatectomy were included in this study. MPV and serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) were measured within 1 week before surgery.

Results

We divided patients into MPV^high (≥ 8.65; n = 40), MPV^low (< 8.65; n = 51), CA19-9^high (≥ 66.3; n = 47), and CA19-9^low (< 66.3; n = 44) groups based on the optimal cut-off values determined from receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were significantly lower in the MPV^low than in the MPV^high group (16.9% and 56.3%, respectively; P = 0.0038), and the 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rates in the MPV^low group and MPV^high group were 20.5% and 62.2%, respectively (P = 0.0031). Multivariate analysis identified MPV as an independent prognostic indicator for both OS and DSS. The patients were then divided into groups A (MPV^high and CA19-9^low), B (MPV^high and CA19-9^high), C (MPV^low and CA19-9^low), and D (MPV^low and CA19-9^high), with 5-year OS rates of 73.2%, 40.4%, 25.8%, and 10.3%, respectively (P = 0.0002), and 5-year DSS rates of 80.8%, 44.9%, 27.3%, and 16.4%, respectively (P = 0.0003).

Conclusions

Classification based on MPV and CA19-9 might be useful for predicting long-term outcomes in patients with PC.

The decreased mean platelet volume is associated with poor prognosis in patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated with radiotherapy

Background

There is considerable evidence that platelets contribute to cancer growth and metastatic dissemination. In recent studies, altered mean platelet volume (MPV) has been associated with prognosis in different types of cancer. However, the prognostic role of the MPV in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) is currently discussed controversially. The present study was performed to analyze and further elucidate the prognostic significance of the MPV in HNSCC.

Methods

A total of 319 oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC) patients treated with radiotherapy at a tertiary academic center were enrolled in the present study. Kaplan–Meier method as well as uni- and multivariate Cox proportional hazards were used to evaluate the impact of MPV on cancer-specific survival (CSS), locoregional control (LC) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Results

The median MPV was 10.30 fL (mean 10.26 ± 1.17fL). Univariate analyses showed a significant association of the MPV with CSS (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.74–0.98, p = 0.025), LC (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.74–0.99, p = 0.034) and RFS (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76–0.996; p = 0.043). In multivariate analysis, the MPV remained an independent prognostic factor for CSS (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.63–0.93, p = 0.008), LC (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.65–0.98, p = 0.030), and RFS (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.685–0.999, p = 0.049).

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that the MPV is a prognostic marker in OPSCC patients and may contribute to future individual risk assessment.

Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of pretreatment mean platelet volume in cancer: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Our study aimed to evaluate the prognostic and clinicopathological significance of pretreatment mean platelet volume (MPV) on cancer by using meta-analysis of published studies.

DESIGN

Meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

Relevant studies available before 22 December 2019 were identified by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

All published studies that assessed the prognostic and clinicopathological significance of pretreatment MPV on cancer were included.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Studies were identified and extracted by two reviewers independently. The HR/OR and its 95% CIs of survival outcomes and clinicopathological parameters were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 38 eligible studies (41 subsets) with 9894 patients with cancer were included in the final meta-analysis. MPV level was not significantly associated with both overall survival (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.14) and disease-free survival (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.73) of patients with cancer. Neither advanced nor mixed-stage tumour patients showed significant association between MPV and overall survival (HR 1.36, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.94, HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.09). However, high MPV had the strongest relationship with poor overall survival (HR 2.01; 95% CI 1.08 to 3.41) in gastric cancer, followed by pancreatic cancer (HR 1.54; 95% CI 1.31 to 1.82). Whereas in the subgroup using receiver operating characteristic curve method to define cut-off values, low MPV was significantly related to poor overall survival (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.95). In addition, MPV had no significant association with age (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.02), sex (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.09), depth of cancer invasion (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.04) and tumour stage (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.07).

CONCLUSIONS

Pretreatment MPV level is of no clearly prognostic significance in cancers and no significant association with clinicopathological parameters of patients with cancers.

Mean Platelet Volume Has Prognostic Value in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

PURPOSE

Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a readily accessible and commonly tested hematological indicator. Recent studies revealed a significant impact of MPV on the course and prognosis of many diseases, including some types of cancer, as well as on the incidence of atrial fibrillation and bleeding. The study aimed to perform a retrospective analysis of MPV in terms of time to first treatment (TTFT) and to determine its prognostic value in the group of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Moreover, the study includes a retrospective analysis of platelet parameters in patients treated with ibrutinib concerning bleeding and atrial fibrillation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included 523 patients with CLL, for 344 the most important cytogenetic aberrations were reported. The Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, Kaplan-Meier, chi-squared, log‑rank tests and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model were used to analyze collected data.

RESULTS

The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify optimal cut-off value for MPV. The analysis of survival curves showed that in the group of patients with higher values of MPV TTFT was significantly longer than in the group with lower MPV (17.9 vs 36 months, p=0.0015, cut-off value for MPV= 10.4 fl). In multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model low MPV, the presence of del11q and del13q provided independent prognostic value for TTFT (HR=0.69, 95%-CI, 0.5293 to 0.9081; p=0.0078; HR=1.76, 95%-CI, 1.3000 to 2.3882, p=0.0003, HR=0.74, 95%-Cl, 0.5674 to 0.9588, p=0.0229, respectively). In the group treated with ibrutinib, 59 patients had no significant correlation between MPV level and the incidence of therapy complications, although in the group of patients with low MPV there was a tendency for more frequent occurrence of atrial fibrillation (p=0.259).

CONCLUSION

Low MPV values are associated with unfavorable prognosis and might represent a novel, independent prognostic factor in CLL.

Blood platelet volume predicts treatment-specific outcomes of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

In the present guidelines for the management of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), it is unclear who benefits most from androgen receptor axis-targeted agents (ARATs) or docetaxel as the first-line treatment.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study to explore new treatment-specific biomarkers in mCRPC. A total of 211 patients with mCRPC who received either ARAT or docetaxel as first-line treatment were included. Patients were compared for radiographic progression and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to assess the association between pretreatment biomarkers and risk of events. The statistical interaction between biomarkers and clinical outcomes was also evaluated.

RESULTS

Of all analyzed biomarkers, multivariable Cox regression models identified MPV [≤ median (9.7 fL)] as an independent prognostic factor of radiographic progression [hazard ratio (HR), 2.35; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-4.80; P = 0.019] and PSA progression (HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.01-3.95; P = 0.048) in patients treated with ARAT, whereas such associations were not observed in those treated with docetaxel. Interaction analyses showed that those initially treated with docetaxel have lower risk of radiographic progression (HR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.13-0.79; P = 0.014) and PSA progression (HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.23-0.98; P = 0.044) than ARAT when MPV was small.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study identified pretreatment MPV as a significant treatment-specific prognostic factor of PSA and radiographic progression in patients with mCRPC who received first-line treatment. Furthermore, our results suggested that those with small MPV may better be treated initially with docetaxel than ARAT.

Evaluation of platelet distribution width as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in bladder neoplasm

Aim: To evaluate the role of preoperative platelet distribution width (PDW) as a potential biomarker for distinguishing malignancy and tumor advantage of bladder neoplasm. Methods: The study included 210 subjects with bladder cancer, 76 subjects with urothelial papilloma and 132 healthy control subjects. Preoperative PDW along with other blood indices was evaluated. Results: PDW was higher in urothelial papilloma patients than that in bladder cancer patients (p < 0.001). Bladder cancer patients with advanced-stage disease exhibited lower PDW levels compared with patients with early stage disease. Conclusion: Reduced preoperative PDW level is an indicator of malignancy and advanced bladder cancer stages, suggesting it as a potential biomarker in bladder cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

Elevated platelet distribution width predicts poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have demonstrated that platelets play an important role in growth, invasion, and angiogenesis of a variety of tumors. Nevertheless, the prognostic role of platelet indices in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been explored. The aim of this study was to explore the association between platelet indices and prognosis in HCC.

METHOD

A total of 260 patients with HCC between January 2009 and December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The optimal platelet distribution width (PDW) cutoff value is identified by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve. The relationship between PDW and clinicopathological features was assessed. The prognostic effects of PDW were assessed by using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model.

RESULT

Elevated PDW level was significantly associated with portal hypertension, vascular invasion, and Child-Pugh grade. In addition, survival curve indicates that patients with high PDW levels have a worse prognosis than patients with low PDW levels (P< 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified PDW as an independent factor of prognosis in HCC patients (hazard ratio: 4.460, 95% confidence interval: 2.308-8.619, P< 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Elevated PDW may be a novel marker for predicting the prognosis of HCC, but further research is needed to validate our conclusions.

A Retrospective Study of The Prognostic Significance of Preoperative Plasma Fibrinogen, Mean Platelet Volume, and the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients with Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of plasma fibrinogen, serum albumin, the mean platelet volume (MPV), and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) who underwent surgical resection. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective study included 110 patients with LSCC who underwent surgical resection between January 2008 to June 2015. Clinicopathologic and demographic data were recorded. Preoperative levels of plasma fibrinogen, serum albumin, MPV, and NLR were measured, and all patients underwent postoperative follow-up. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine the impact of these factors on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS Preoperative hyperfibrinogenemia was significantly correlated with clinical stage, T stage, and tumor location in patients with LSCC (P<0.05). Serum albumin, MPV, and NLR were significantly correlated with the clinical stage and the T stage (P<0.05). The OS and DFS were significantly reduced in patients with hyperfibrinogenemia compared with patients with plasma fibrinogen <4 g/dL (P<0.05). Serum albumin of 35 g/L was not significantly correlated with OS (P>0.05). Patients with an MPV <9.5 fL had a significantly longer OS compared with patients with an MPV ≥9.5 fL (P=0.026). The DFS of patients with an NLR <2.22 was significantly longer than for those with an NLR ≥2.22. CONCLUSIONS Preoperative hyperfibrinogenemia, increased MPV and NLR were associated with reduced prognosis in patients with LSCC.

Preoperative mean platelet volume predicts survival in breast cancer patients with type 2 diabetes

PURPOSE

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have an increased risk of breast cancer (BC). Furthermore, growing evidence suggests that activated platelets play a crucial role in tumor and T2DM. Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a platelet index and is altered in patients with malignancies. The aim of this study was to determine whether preoperative MPV could predict survival in BC patients with T2DM.

METHODS

The clinical data of 266 female BC patients with T2DM and 264 female BC patients without T2DM between January 2011 and December 2011 in our center were retrospectively analyzed. Survival analysis was performed using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.

RESULTS

The patients with T2DM had higher MPV levels than the patients without T2DM. Furthermore, MPV was found to be significantly associated with differentiation T2DM from non-T2DM. In addition, survival analysis revealed that the disease-specific survival and overall survival of patients with MPV ≤ 8.0 fL were significantly shorter than that of those with MPV > 8.0 fL in diabetic patients. Multivariate analysis identified MPV as an independent poor prognostic factor for survival only in patients with T2DM not in patients without T2DM.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study first established a connection between MPV and BC patients with T2DM, suggesting that MPV was an independent prognostic factor and could be the biomarker for prognosis.

Mean platelet volume predicts survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) having pre-existing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) have a poorer prognosis than those without T2DM. Moreover, accumulating evidence reveals that activated platelets play a crucial role in tumor and T2DM. The mean platelet volume (MPV) indicates platelet activation and is altered in malignancies. The present study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of MPV in patients with HCC having T2DM.

METHODS

This retrospective study performed between January 2010 and December 2013 included 331 patients with HCC (165 with T2DM and 166 without T2DM). The overall survival was compared, and the predictors of overall survival were analyzed.

RESULTS

The patients with T2DM had lower MPV levels than those without T2DM. Furthermore, the MPV levels significantly differentiated T2DM from non-T2DM. In addition, for patients with T2DM, the overall survival was significantly shorter in patients with low MPV levels than in those with high MPV levels. Multivariate analysis identified decreased MPV as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival only in patients with T2DM, but not in those without T2DM.

CONCLUSION

Reduced MPV was a prognostic factor for poor outcome in patients with HCC and T2DM.

Prognostic value of mean platelet volume to plateletcrit ratio in patients with osteosarcoma

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of preoperative mean platelet volume to plateletcrit (MPV/PCT) ratio in patients with osteosarcoma.

Materials and methods

The retrospective study included 188 consecutive osteosarcoma patients who experienced neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgical resection of tumor. The relationships between MPV/PCT and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression proportional hazard model were applied to assess the prognostic value of MPV/PCT ratio.

Results

MPV/PCT ratio was found to be significantly associated with platelet count, platelet distribution width, and PCT (all P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that high MPV/PCT ratio (≥43.58) was associated with a prolonged disease-free survival (DFS, P=0.035). The multivariate Cox revealed that only good chemotherapy response was an independent predictor of better DFS in the overall population. However, the stratification analysis showed that a high MPV/PCT ratio (≥43.58) was indicated as an independent prognostic factor for a favorable DFS (HR =0.137, 95%CI =0.029-0.644, P=0.012) in the male osteosarcoma patients but not in female patients.

Conclusion

The high preoperative MPV/PCT ratio may serve as an independent prognostic factor for a favorable prognosis in male osteosarcoma patients. Further studies are needed to confirm the findings.

Critical evaluation of platelet size as a prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer across multiple treatment settings: a retrospective cohort study

PURPOSE

The role of mean platelet volume (MPV) as a predictor of outcomes in various cancer entities including colorectal cancer (CRC) has already been analyzed. However, data on the prognostic and predictive value of MPV in CRC over multiple lines of systemic therapy are missing.

METHODS

In this retrospective single-center cohort study, 690 patients with UICC stage II, III or IV CRC receiving adjuvant and/or palliative chemotherapy were included. Primary endpoints in the adjuvant, palliative and best supportive care (BSC) setting were 3-year recurrence-free survival (RFS), 6-months progression-free survival (PFS), and 6-months overall survival (OS), respectively. Kaplan-Meier estimators, log-rank tests, and uni- and multivariable Cox models were used to analyze RFS, PFS and OS. A cut-off defining patients with low MPV was chosen empirically at the 25th percentile of the MPV distribution in the respective treatment setting.

RESULTS

Three-year RFS was 76%. Median 6-month PFS estimates in 1st, 2nd and 3rd line therapy were 59, 37 and 27%, respectively. Median 6-month OS in BSC was 31%. Small platelets as indicated by low MPV did not predict for shorter RFS. In the first 3 palliative treatment lines a consistent association between low MPV and decreased 6-month PFS was not observed. In the BSC setting, patients with low MPV had numerically but not significantly shorter OS. Higher MPV levels did not consistently predict for ORR or DCR across the first 3 palliative treatment lines.

CONCLUSION

Small platelets are not predicting CRC outcomes, and thus are hardly useful for influencing clinical decision making.

Decreased mean platelet volume predicts poor prognosis in metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with first-line chemotherapy: results from mCRC biomarker study

BACKGROUND

Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is a major cause of death of malignant tumor and the valuable prognostic biomarker for chemotherapy is crucial in decreasing mortality. Previous studies have proved the prognostic value of the mean platelet volume (MPV) in survival of primary operable CRC patients. However, the prognostic impact of MPV in mCRC is still unclear. In this study, we aimed to clarify the prognostic role of MPV in mCRC undergoing standard first-line chemotherapy.

METHODS

From January 2012 to December 2016, we conducted a retrospective clinical study included 264 mCRC patients (NCT03532711). All the enrolled patients received the standard oxaliplatin-based or irinotecan-based chemotherapy. The association between the baseline MPV and clinicopathological features were examined.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis revealed that decreased MPV, the platelet counts (PLT), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and the platelet crit (PCT) were significantly associated with inferior overall survival (OS) (p < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, elevated PLR was significant prognostic factors for OS, with hazard ratios of (HR:1.006, 95% CI:1.001-1.011, p = 0.01) while MPV was not, respectively (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrated that the baseline MPV level may act as a predictive factor for survival in mCRC patients undergoing standard chemotherapy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study was retrospectively registered in date May the 20th 2018. The registration number (TRN) of this study was NCT03532711 .

The predictive value of preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on the recurrence of the local pigmented villonodular synovitis of the knee joint

Background

To explore and evaluate the predictive value of preoperative Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on the recurrence of pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) of the knee joint treated by arthroscopic surgery combining local radiotherapy.

Methods

Sixty pathological-proven PVNS cases of the knee joint in our department from April 2006 to March 2017 were included. All of them are treated by arthroscopic synovectomy combined with adjuvant radiotherapy. The pre-operative hematological indexes such as c-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), NLR, Platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and Lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) were collected retrospectively and their relationship with postoperative recurrence was analyzed by using univariate and multivariate analysis, the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curve), the Kappa correspondence test and the Mc Nemar Chi-square test.

Results

All 60 patients were followed up for a median of 52.8 months (7–138 months) and the recurrence rate is about 23.3% (14/60). There is a significant difference in NLR between the recurrent and non-recurrent group (P = 0.002). It had a certain correlation with postoperative recurrence (correlation coefficient r = 0.438, P = 0.001). The optimal thresholds in ROC curve were 2.42 (sensitivity 71.4%, specificity 78.3% respectively). which had predictive ability for recurrence after arthroscopic treatment.

Conclusion

The preoperative NLR is an easy and cost-effective predictor for relapse in PVNS of the knee joint after the arthroscopic surgery combined with local radiotherapy, which is of profound significance to guide clinical work.