title: Pretreatment thrombocytosis: a prognostic marker for oral squamous cell carcinoma?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Thrombocytosis associated with poorer prognoses seems to be a frequent preoperative finding in different kind of cancers. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether thrombocytosis can be used as a prognostic marker for oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Altogether, 288 patients with oral SCC were considered, as well as all platelet counts between 1 and 5 days prior to surgical treatment, recurrence rate, and lymph node metastasis. The minimum follow-up time was 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean preoperative thrombocyte score of the patients who received surgery was 259.55 ± 83.8 Tsd/μl; 273 out of 288 patients were in the normal thrombocyte range, and 12 had a thrombocytosis. From 51 patients with recurrence, three were in the thrombocytosis group, and 45 patients with recurrence were in the normal thrombocyte range.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results do not confirm that thrombocytosis can be seen as marker for poor tumor prognosis.
authors: Department of Craniomaxillofacial and Oral Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Frauenklinikstr. 24, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Steffen
authors: S
authors: Kargus
authors: Franz E
authors: FE
authors: Weber
authors: Heinz T
authors: HT
authors: Luebbers
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Zemann
authors: Klaus W
authors: KW
authors: Graetz
authors: Astrid L
authors: AL
authors: Kruse
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D010976:Platelet Count; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012016:Reference Values; D013922:Thrombocytosis / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult