Decreased mean platelet volume predicts poor prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer

Background Decreased mean platelet volume (MPV) predicts poor prognosis in some cancers. However, its significance as a prognostic indicator in pancreatic cancer (PC) remains unclear. Methods A total of 91 PC patients who underwent pancreatectomy were included in this study. MPV and serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) were measured within 1 week before surgery. Results We divided patients into MPVhigh (>= 8.65; n = 40), MPVlow (< 8.65; n = 51), CA19-9(high) (>= 66.3; n = 47), and CA19-9(low) (< 66.3; n = 44) groups based on the optimal cut-off values determined from receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were significantly lower in the MPVlow than in the MPVhigh group (16.9% and 56.3%, respectively; P = 0.0038), and the 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rates in the MPVlow group and MPVhigh group were 20.5% and 62.2%, respectively (P = 0.0031). Multivariate analysis identified MPV as an independent prognostic indicator for both OS and DSS. The patients were then divided into groups A (MPVhigh and CA19-9(low)), B (MPVhigh and CA19-9(high)), C (MPVlow and CA19-9(low)), and D (MPVlow and CA19-9(high)), with 5-year OS rates of 73.2%, 40.4%, 25.8%, and 10.3%, respectively (P = 0.0002), and 5-year DSS rates of 80.8%, 44.9%, 27.3%, and 16.4%, respectively (P = 0.0003). Conclusions Classification based on MPV and CA19-9 might be useful for predicting long-term outcomes in patients with PC.