Feb 15th - Study Explains High Platelets in Ovarian Cancer Patients; Survival Reduced - MDAnderson

Study Explains High Platelets in Ovarian Cancer Patients; Survival Reduced

Newswise — HOUSTON -

"Highly elevated platelet levels fuel tumor growth and reduce the survival of ovarian cancer patients, an international team of researchers led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer center reports in the New England Journal of Medicine.
By pinpointing a powerful cause-and-effect relationship at the heart of a clinical observation that dates back more than 100 years, the team's findings reveal a new factor in cancer progression and new potential approaches for treatment.
"We've long known that ovarian cancer patients often have markedly increased platelet counts but we haven't known why this happens or understood its relevance, if any, to disease progression," said senior author Anil Sood, M.D., professor in MD Anderson's Departments of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine and Cancer Biology....."

"Of 619 ovarian cancer patients, 192 (31 percent) had thrombocytosis. Importantly, less than 2 percent of those had an iron deficiency or a non-cancerous inflammatory condition, the two most common causes of elevated platelet levels."