For patients with leukemia, platelets can be a feasible prognostic marker for defining both treatment-free
and overall survival, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Biochemistry. Researchers
compared mean platelet volume (MPV) and plateletcrit levels of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia
(CLL) and a control group. In patients with CLL, they recorded additional diseases, platelet count,
leukocyte count, Rai stage, lactate dehydrogenase, progression-free and overall surviv- al, chemotherapy,
and mutations. Associations between MPV and plateletcrit values and these parameters were assessed in
patients with CLL. In patients with CLL, both platelet and plateletcrit values were significantly lower
than those of the control group (P<0.001). In patients who did not receive chemotherapy, plateletcrit and
MPV values were higher than in those who received chemotherapy. In patients aged 75 and older, platelet
level below 175 x 109/L, plateletcrit value less than 0.1565%, and leukocyte count greater than 53.5 x
109/L considerably reduced overall survival.
