Platelet Count May be an Effective Tool for Mesothelioma Prognosis
A high platelet count may not bode well for people battling malignant pleural mesothelioma. New evidence suggests that people who have a high concentration of platelets in their blood prior to the start of mesothelioma treatment have shorter overall survival than those with normal platelet counts. The news comes from a Chinese meta-analysis including more than 3,600 mesothelioma patients. Platelets and Health Smaller than either red or white blood cells, platelets are the components in blood that facilitate clotting. The normal range for platelet counts is 150,000 to 400,000 platelets per microliter (mcL). When an unusually high concentration of platelets is caused by a secondary problem (such as cancer-related inflammation), it is known as thrombocytosis. By itself, thrombocytosis usually does…
