title: Thrombocytosis and anaemia in women with recurrent ovarian cancer prior to a second-line chemotherapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the incidence and the prognostic value of platelet count and serum haemoglobin (Hb) in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer prior to second-line chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical records were reviewed for 31 patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Survival analysis was evaluated by univariate (Kaplan-Meier product limit method and log-rank test) analysis. We analysed the results for the overall survival. Anaemia and thrombocytosis were defined as a serum Hb level < 12 g/dl and as platelet count > 300,000/microL, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thrombocytosis and tumour anaemia were present in 55% and 42% of the patients, respectively. Tumour anaemia was of no prognostic value with respect to overall survival in our series. In patients with thrombocytosis, the median survival rate was reduced (p = 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that a platelet count > 300,000/microL appears to be an adverse prognostic parameter in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer prior to a second-line chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Vienna University Medical School, A-1090 Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, Austria. andreas.nather@univie.ac.at
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nather
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mayerhofer
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grimm
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hefler
authors.forename: Sepp
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leodolter
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Obermair
authors.forename: Elmar A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Joura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010976:Platelet Count; D011379:Prognosis; D013922:Thrombocytosis / Q000209:etiology*