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

Daniela Delago,Wilfried Renner,Heidi Stranzl-Lawatsch,Olivia Knittelfelder,Tanja Langsenlehner,Katarzyna Lukasiak,Sabine Reinisch,Gabriele Jakse,Richard Partl

doi:10.1186/s13014-020-01702-4

Daniela Delago, Wilfried Renner + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.1186/s13014-020-01702-4

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Journal: Radiation Oncology	Publication Date: Nov 7, 2020
Citations: 10	License type: open-access

Affiliation: Medical University of Graz

Abstract

BackgroundThere 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.MethodsA 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).ResultsThe 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).ConclusionsOur findings indicate that the MPV is a prognostic marker in OPSCC patients and may contribute to future individual risk assessment.

Highlights

There is considerable evidence that platelets contribute to cancer growth and metastatic dissemina‐ tion
The mean platelet volume (MPV) significantly correlated with alcohol consumption (p = 0.009), no significant associations were found between the MPV and the remaining clinico-pathological parameters
In invasive bladder cancer patients decreased MPV was a negative predictor for OS (HR 2.023, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.050–3.897, p = 0.025), in lung cancers, it was a negative parameter for disease-free survival (HR 1.713; 95% CI 1.070–2.742, p = 0.025) and OS (HR 2.835; 95% CI 1.304– 6.163, p = 0.009) [11, 12, 16]

Summary

Introduction

There is considerable evidence that platelets contribute to cancer growth and metastatic dissemina‐ tion. The prognostic role of the MPV in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) is currently dis‐ cussed controversially. Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is a common malignancy of the head and neck and includes cancers of the tonsils, base of the tongue, soft palate, and Despite several advances in the management of OPSCC including novel imaging as well as innovations in surgical and radiotherapeutic techniques, the overall survival of patients with OPSCC still remains around 50% at 5 years, primarily because of locoregional and/or systemic recurrence of disease [2]. There is increasing data demonstrating that radiomics provides important prognostic information for the risk assessment of specific outcomes in head and neck cancer [4, 5]. Platelets have been shown to promote cancer angiogenesis by releasing angiogenic growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) [7]

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