repost 2/2012: Paraneoplastic Thrombocytosis in Ovarian Cancer — NEJM

Paraneoplastic Thrombocytosis in Ovarian Cancer — NEJM

"Platelets are highly reactive cellular effectors of hemostasis, immunity, and inflammation.1 The concept that platelets play key roles in cancer growth and metastasis is long-standing. In fact, the clinical observation that thrombocytosis (defined as a platelet count of >450,000 per cubic millimeter) occurs in patients with solid tumors was made more than 100 years ago.2,3 Nearly 40% of persons incidentally found to have platelet counts exceeding 400,000 per cubic millimeter in the absence of iron deficiency and benign inflammatory conditions have an occult cancer, most commonly a primary gastrointestinal, lung, breast, or ovarian cancer.....