Aims - To investigate the prognostic value of thrombocytosis in patients with colorectal cancer. Method - Charts of 243 patients with colorectal cancer that had undergone surgical treatment were retrospectively reviewed. Data on TNM staging, tumor recurrence and cancer death were compared with the occurrence of thombocytosis before surgery. The control group was formed by fifty patients submitted to herniorrhaphy. Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of mean platelet count of control group: group 1, patients with platelet count below that mean and group 2, patients with platelet count above that level. Results - The mean platelet count was 317000/ìl among cancer patients and 267000/ìl in the control group patients. Prevalence of thrombocytosis in patients with colorectal cancer was 32,1%. The cancer death rate was 56,7% in patients with thrombocytosis and 32% in patients with normal platelet count (p=0,001). When the platelet count mean of control group was used, the difference was significantly greater (p=0004). Tumor recurrence occurred in 40% of group 2 patients and in 17,9% of group 1 patients (p=0,003). Regarding T staging, on group 1, 14,1% of patients were T1 and 8,4% were T4. On group 2, 2,2% were T1 and 19,5% were T4 (p=0,0005). Distant metastasis were found in 9,4% patients of group 1 and 21,8% of group 2 (p=0,02). Considering TNM staging, group 1 had 24,6% of patients in stage 1 and 11% in stage 4. On group 2, 9,6% belonged to stage 1 and 22,8% to stage 4 (p=0,02). Conclusion - Preoperative platelet count seems to be a helpful indicator of patients with poor prognosis.
Thrombocytosis; colorectal cancer; prognosis; pratelet
