Thrombocytosis Is a Poor Prognostic Factor in Those Treated With Chemoradiation for Advanced Cervical Cancer [ID 2683596

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Prior to the addition of chemotherapy to radiation, thrombocytosis was seen as a poor prognostic factor for women with advanced cervical cancer. The objective of this study was to see in the chemoradiation era whether thrombocytosis was still a prognostic factor. METHODS: An IRB-approved study was performed analyzing all patients with cervical cancer receiving primary chemoradiation (cisplatin) as therapy over a 10-year period. Minimum follow-up was 30 months. Records were examined for initial platelet count at diagnosis, stage, grade, histology, and survival. Only patients receiving chemoradiation with stage IIa–IVb cervical cancer were studied and included in the final analysis. RESULTS: Two hundred nine with cervical cancer were diagnosed with 173 treated with primary chemoradiation. The most common stage was IIIb (88; 50.9%). The mean platelet counts of those receiving chemoradiation were significantly higher (396k/mL; 95% CI, 376–416k) than those with lower-stage disease (313k/mL; 292–334k) (P<.001). Of the 173 patients, 42 (24.3%) had a platelet count >450k/mL and 24 (13.9%) had a platelet count >500k/mL. Patients who died of disease had significantly higher initial platelet counts (mean 433k/mL; 95% CI, 407–458k) than those who were alive at the completion of follow-up (mean 326k/mL; 95% CI, 303–350k). None of the patients with an initial platelet count greater than 500k/mL was alive at the time of follow-up. CONCLUSION: High platelet count at initial diagnosis is a poor prognostic factor in those with cervical cancer treated by primary chemoradiation.