The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of
tumor anemia and
thrombocytosis in patients with
vulvar cancer, and to evaluate the prognostic value or pretreatment
hemoglobin (Hb) and platelet count regarding disease-free and overall survival of patients with
vulvar cancer. We measured pretreatment Hb and platelet count in 62 patients with squamous cell
vulvar cancer. The results were correlated to clinical data. Median Hb and platelet count in patients with
vulvar cancer were 13.1 g/dl (range 8.3-16.2) and 268, 500/microl (range 88,000-778,000), respectively. Cut-off levels of 12 g/dl and 300,000/microl were selected for
tumor anemia and
tumor thrombocytosis, respectively according to published criteria.
Tumor anemia and
tumor thrombocytosis were present in 30.6 and 27.4% of patients with
vulvar cancer, respectively. In a univariate analysis
tumor stage and
tumor thrombocytosis were significantly associated with a shortened disease-free (log-rank test, p < 0.001 and p = 0. 003, respectively) and overall survival (log-rank test, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively).
Tumor anemia was not associated with a shortened disease-free, but with a shortened overall survival of patients with
vulvar cancer (log-rank test, p = 0.1 and p = 0.002, respectively). A multivariate Cox regression model considering
tumor stage,
tumor anemia, and
tumor thrombocytosis showed, however, that pretreatment Hb and platelet count did not confer additional prognostic information to that already obtained by the established prognosticator
tumor stage on disease free (multivariate Cox regression model, p = 0.8, p = 0.2, and p = 0.003, respectively) and overall survival (multivariate Cox regression model, p = 0.4, p = 0. 5, and p = 0.04, respectively). Pretreatment
tumor anemia and
tumor thrombocytosis were associated with a poor prognosis, but were not an independent predictor of outcome in patients with
vulvar cancer.