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Thromb Haemost 1998; 79(05): 916-918
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1615093
Review Article
Schattauer GmbH

Platelet Count and Survival in Patients with Colorectal Cancer – a Preliminary Study

Manuel Monreal
1   From the Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Oncology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
,
Jaume Fernandez-Llamazares
1   From the Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Oncology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
,
Marta Piñol
1   From the Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Oncology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
,
Joan Francesc Julian
1   From the Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Oncology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
,
Marc Broggi
1   From the Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Oncology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
,
Diana Escola
1   From the Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Oncology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
,
Albert Abad
1   From the Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Oncology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 19 September 1997

Accepted after resubmission 07 January 1998

Publication Date:
07 December 2017 (online)

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Summary

In a previous report we found an inverse correlation between pre-operative platelet count (PlC) levels and the risk of post-operative pulmonary embolism in patients undergoing hip surgery. In the present study, we prospectively evaluated the prognostic significance of pre-operative PlC levels on survival in 180 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer. Other major clinicopathological parameters studied were age, gender, Dukes’ stage, duration of surgery, pre-operative haemoglobin levels and transfusion requirements.

There were no significant differences in mean pre-operative PlC levels according to tumor stage. Thirty-three patients (18%) died during follow-up (3-23 months, median: 13 months). Univariate analysis (Kaplan-Meier estimates) showed that advanced tumor stage (p <0.001), duration of surgery (p <0.05) and a high pre-operative PlC level (p <0.001) were significantly associated to a poor survival. The multivariate Cox analysis revealed that tumor stage (RR:5.734; 95%C.I.: 2.644-12.44), a high pre-operative PlC level (RR: 2.467; 95%C.I.: 1.117-5.452), and to a lesser extent the patients’ age remained independent prognostic variables for mortality. The findings of this preliminary study may be of interest from the point of view of pathogenesis, but also clinically, since they might be used in the decision as to which patients or groups of patients should receive more aggressive therapeutic intervention.

 

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