Affiliations: Department of General and Colorectal Surgery, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Marcin Wƚodarczyk, Department of General and Colorectal Surgery, Medical University of Lodz, Haller Sq. 1, 90-647 Lodz, Poland. Tel./Fax: +48 42 639 30 49; E-mail:dr.mwlodarczyk@gmail.com
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Rectal cancer is a major cause of death and an early diagnosis
is crucial in decreasing mortality. Previous studies found a relation
between chronic inflammation and increased risk of rectal cancer. It was
shown that mean platelet volume (MPV) level might be a marker of subclinical
inflammatory process in gastrointestinal tract. OBJECTIVE: To determinate whether MPV could be a useful biomarker of tumor
progression in the rectal cancer. METHODS: One hundred and three patients with rectal cancer who underwent surgical resection of
tumor were enrolled in the study. The control group consisted of 98 healthy
subjects. RESULTS: The association between MPV, tumor stage and clinical
status were assessed. The analysis proved that pre-operative MPV level was significantly
lower in rectal cancer vs. healthy individuals (10.65 ± 0.79 vs.
11.41 ± 0.76 fL; p < 0.001).Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis suggested 11.3 as the
cut-off value for MPV (sensitivity = 83%; specificity = 54%;
AUC = 0.745). Surgical resection of tumor resulted in the increase of the
MPV level with statistical significance (10.65 ± 0.79 fL vs. 11.21 ±
0.82 fL; p < 0.001). No relationship was found between the post-operative
MPV level in cancer patients and control subjects. CONLUSION: MPV level may be potentially useful and easily available
biomarker for monitoring subclinical inflammation related to rectal cancer
and predicting tumor progression.
Keywords: Biomarker, mean platelet volume, rectal cancer, tumor progression, inflammation
