Clinical Values of Platelet Parameters in Small Cell Lung Carcinoma with Pleural Effusion.

Background: Currently, there are few studies on the correlation between platelet counts (PLT), plateletcrit (PCT), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) with and without pleural effusion. This study is to investigate their likely correlation and to evaluate the potential diagnostic or prognostic applications of these platelet parameters.

Methods: A total of 218 each of patients with primary SCLC and healthy controls were included. Hematological indicators and other clinically relevant information were collected. Comparisons of the differences between groups were applied to the independent samples t-test or the chi-squared test. ROC curve analysis was used to access the diagnostic performance of PLT, PCT, and PLR.

Results: Compared with healthy controls, PLT, PCT, and PLR in SCLC were significantly higher. On the other hand, mean platelet volume, lymphocytes, and hemoglobin were significantly lower. The levels of PLT, PCT, and PLR were related to malignant pleural effusion, while not related to lymph node or distant metastasis. The incidence of pleural effusion in patients with SCLC was positively correlated with the levels of PLT, PCT, and PLR. ROC curve analysis showed that PLT, PCT, and PLR were valuable markers for SCLC, and the combination of the three has higher diagnostic efficacy.

Conclusions: Platelet parameters were significantly different between SCLC and controls. PLT, PCT, and PLR could be used to assess the presence of pleural effusion.