Comparison of Platelet Counts and Mean Platelet Volume Levels in Skin Cancer Patients and Healthy Individuals

Research Article

J Dis Markers. 2015; 2(4): 1034.

Comparison of Platelet Counts and Mean Platelet Volume Levels in Skin Cancer Patients and Healthy Individuals

Cihan YB¹* and Baykan H²

²Kayseri Education and Research Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology, Turkey

²Kayseri Education and Research Hospital, Department of Plastic Surgery, Turkey

*Corresponding author: Yasemin Benderli Cihan, Kayseri Education and Research Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology, 38010, Kocasinan/Kayseri, Turkey

Received: November 05, 2015; Accepted: November 27, 2015; Published: December 01, 2015

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the platelet (plt) count, mean platelet volume (MPV) and MPV/plt levels in skin cancer patients and to compare them with healthy individuals.

Patients and Methods: Between January 2005 and February 2013, medical data of 558 patients with primary skin cancer who were treated at Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Department of Plastic Surgery and Radiation Oncology were retrospectively analyzed. Age and sex of the patients, histopathological subtype of cancer and platelet and MPV values which were checked one day before surgery were recorded. The control group consisted of 308 healthy volunteers who were admitted to Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Check-Up Outpatient Clinic were retrospectively analyzed. Baseline platelet count, MPV value and MPV/plt ratio of patients and healthy were recorded. Comparison was based on t-test test and one way ANOVA.

Results: A significant difference in age, plt count, MPV value and MPV/plt ratio was observed among the patients with skin cancer and healthy controls (p<0.001). There was a significant difference in age, MPV/plt ratio and plt count among the patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (p<0.001), but not malignant melanoma (MM) and healthy controls. There was a difference in MPV among the patients with BCC and healthy controls (p<0.034), while no difference was observed among the patients with SCC and MM and healthy controls.

Conclusion: Our study results showed MPV is an indicator for inflammatory process and thrombosis and likely, thus, to be a novel biomarker in the diagnosis of skin cancer.

Keywords: Skin cancer; Platelet; Mean platelet volume

Introduction

Skin, which is the largest part of human body, can be easily exposed to environmental carcinogens in the long-term. Skin neoplasms are the most frequent types of neoplasms. Malignant skin tumors account for the half of the cancers in USA with an increasing incidence [1].

Malignant skin tumors include basal cell carcinoma (BCC), malignant melanoma (MM), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and skin appendages. Skin tumors account for 65-75% of BCC, 20-30% of SCC, and 5-10% of MM and skin appendages. Each of them has a unique biological pattern. Although environmental factors and chronic inflammation have been reported to play a role in the etiopathogenesis of skin cancer, it is still unknown [2,3].

Skin cancer has an excellent prognosis if early diagnosed with the lowest mortality following treatment, as these tumors are visible and biopsy samples can be easily taken. The success rate of curative treatment of these tumors is higher due to slow progression. Despite high local recurrence rate, these tumors are less likely to metastasize [2-4].

The best treatment approach is based on the tumor type as well as patient characteristics and treatment parameters. Early stage skin carcinomas are usually managed using a single method such as local excision, radiation therapy (RT), cryotherapy or laser excision, while advanced or late stage carcinomas are managed using a combination therapy including surgery and postoperative RT [2,5].

With the introduction of automatic blood cell counting machines into the laboratories thirty years ago, platelet (plt) analysis including plt count, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW) and plt functions has been carried out effectively. Many studies have been conducted to investigate a possible relationship between plt count and several diseases [6-10]. In addition, the mean platelet volume and PDW values are valid parameters in the diagnosis and management of different types of cancer for many years, and also there are a limited number of studies investigating the relationship between these parameters and cancer [5,15]. Despite being the most frequently seen malignancies, the relationship between skin tumors and blood parameters is still unknown. Today, no serum biomarker is known in the diagnosis of skin cancer.

In this study, we aimed to compare the plt count, MPV and MPV/ plt ratio among the patients with skin cancer and healthy individuals.

Material and Methods

Between January 2005 and February 2013, medical data of 558 patients with primary skin cancer (Group 1) who were treated at Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Department of Department of Plastic Surgery and Radiation Oncology were retrospectively analyzed. The control group (Group 2) consisted of 308 healthy individuals who were admitted to Check-Up Outpatient Clinic using a computer-generated random sequence. Age and sex of the patients and histopathological subtype of cancer were recorded. Platelet and MPV values which were checked one day before surgery were also recorded. Patients with missing information were excluded. Platelet count, MPV value and MPV/plt ratio of patients and healthy controls were statistically analyzed.

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v15.0 software. Quantitative parameters were compared by using independent t-test. One-way variance analysis (one-way ANOVA) was used for comparisons between groups regarding mean values, standard deviation, lowest and highest intervals; while Duncan HSD post hoc test was used to detect groups causing difference. p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results

A total of 866 participants including 558 patients with skin cancer (group 1) and 308 healthy controls (group 2) were included. Of them, 592 were men and 274 were women. The male to female ratio was 2:1. In Group 1, 401 patients were diagnosed with BCC, 144 with SCC and 13 with MM. The median age was 69.3 and 63.8 in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively.

A comparison of blood parameters among the patients and healthy controls is shown in Table 1. The mean MPV was 8.70±1.44 in Group 1 and 8.46±1.30 in Group 2. The mean plt count was 240.94±69.5 in Group 1 and 276.41±88.7 in Group 2. The MPV/plt ratio was 0.039±0.014 in Group 1 and 0.032±0.015 in Group 2. There was a statistically significant difference in age, plt, MPV value and MPV/plt ratio between the groups (p<0.001).