A retrospective study of 101 patients with rectal cancer who received chemoradiotherapy (CRT) after surgical resection found that pre-CRT platelet count correlated with venous invasion and tumour size as well as the response rate to therapy. Patients with pre-CRT thrombocytosis had markedly shorter local recurrence-free survival than those patients with normal platelet counts. Platelet count before CRT is a promising biomarker for predicting CRT efficacy and risk of local recurrence in patients with rectal cancer.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Kawei, K. et al. Thrombocytosis before pre-operative chemoradiotherapy predicts poor response and shorter local recurrance-free survival in rectal cancer. Int. J. Colorectal Dis. doi:10.1007/s00384-012-1594-4
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Platelet count—a new biomarker for chemoradiotherapy success in patients with rectal cancer?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 9, 688 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2012.218
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2012.218
