BACKGROUND: Platelets and platelet activation are involved in the critical steps of tumor cell growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis. In this study, we analyzed the correlation between platelet distribution width (PDW) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: HCC patients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, China, from January 2017 to October 2017, were analyzed retrospectively. The control group comprised healthy persons at the hospital for medical check-ups during the same period. The Mann-Whitney U test was performed to compare the differences in relevant laboratory parameters between the HCC and control groups. Differences in PDW at different stages of HCC were calculated by using one-way analysis of variance. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlations between the PDW and relevant experimental parameters in HCC patients.

RESULTS: The platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were higher in HCC patients than in the control group. The platelet count (P), absolute lymphocyte count (L), absolute neutrophil count (N), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were distinctly lower in the HCC patients than in the control group. There were significant differences in the PDW between the 4 stages of HCC. The Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated that the PDW was positively correlated with the cancer stage, alpha fetoprotein (AFP), and MPV, and negatively correlated with the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and platelet count (P). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of the platelet distribution width-to-platelet count ratio was 0.727 (95% confidence interval 0.691–0.762).

CONCLUSIONS: PDW is associated with HCC and may be a potential marker for its progression.

Keywords: Platelet Activation, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome