| Title | High platelet count associated with venous thromboembolism in cancer patients: results from the Vienna Cancer and Thrombosis Study (CATS). | | Author(s) | Simanek R, Vormittag R, Ay C, Alguel G, Dunkler D, Schwarzinger I, Steger G, Jaeger U, Zielinski C, Pabinger I | | Institution | Clinical Division of Haematology and Haemostaseology, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Austria. | | Source | J Thromb Haemost 2009 Nov 2. | | Abstract | Summary
Background: Laboratory parameters that predict venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer patients are scarce. Increased platelet count has been found to be a risk factor for VTE in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. We have assessed high platelet count as risk predictor for VTE in patients with cancer undergoing discriminative anti-cancer treatments and investigated whether platelet count correlates with thrombopoietin (TPO) levels. Design and
Methods: CATS is an ongoing prospective observational study of patients with newly diagnosed cancer or progression of disease, which started in 10/2003. Occurrence of VTE and information on the patients' anti-cancer-treatment during follow-up are recorded.
Results: Between October 2003 and February 2008 we included 665 patients (314 female/351 male, mean age 62 years) with solid tumours. VTE occurred in 44 patients (18 female/26 male, mean age 62 years). The cumulative probability of VTE after one year was 34.3% in patients with a PC above the 95(th) percentile representing 443 x 10(9)/l compared to 5.9% in those below 443 x 10(9)/l. High platelet count [hazard ratio (HR): 3.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52-8.06, p=0.0032], soluble P-selectin [HR: 2.66, 95% CI: 1.42-4.96, p=0.0021] and surgery [HR: 4.05, 95% CI: 1.74-9.46, p=0.0012] were statistically significant risk factors for VTE in multivariable analysis with leucocyte count, age, sex, radio- and chemotherapy. We found no correlation between platelet count and TPO levels.
Conclusions: High platelet count is a clinically important, independent risk predictor for VTE in cancer patients. Platelet count was not found to be associated with TPO levels. | | Language | ENG | | Pub Type(s) | JOURNAL ARTICLE
| | PubMed ID | 19889150 |
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