Association Between Mean Platelet Volume, Platelet Count, and Distribution Width With Depth of Invasion in Oral Cancers.

Introduction: To examine the potential predictive roles of the preoperative mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet count (PC), and platelet distribution width (PDW) in patients with oral cancer and their association with the depth of invasion (DOI).

Methods: This retrospective study included 122 patients (66 males, 56 females) diagnosed with oral cancer between January 2009 and January 2015 by our Otolaryngology Department. At diagnosis, the mean age was 64.6 ± 13.9 years. The average follow-up period was 39.2 ± 23.9 months.

Results: We found significant differences in all parameters (PDW, MPV, PC) based on the positivity of the lymph node and the tumor stage. The mean PDW, MPV, and PC were significantly higher in the exitus group than in the survivor group (P = .010, .036, and .047, respectively). In patients with high PDW, we observed a lower progression-free survival. We observed that PDW had a significant impact on the recurrence of the disease. Platelet distribution width, MPV, and PC were significant prognostic factors. A high PDW increased fatality 4.1 times, and a high MPV increased fatality 4.7 times (P = .040 and .032, respectively). We found in a univariate analysis that tumor grade, PDW, MPV, and PC were predictive factors for fatality. On multivariate analysis, we found that MPV, PC, and predictors were independent of tumor grade. We observed an association between MPV and DOI.

Conclusion: High PC, MPV, and PDW could be meaningful prognostic predictors for low survival rates. Mean platelet volume appears to be a more effective marker because it is associated with the DOI and prognosis. However, further research is required to confirm our findings.