- Blood platelet counts at the higher end of normal suggest a high risk of cancer in men aged 60 or over according to new University of Exeter research.
- Platelets perform a crucial function in blood especially in blood clotting which helps heal wound.
- Researchers have previously found that cancer risk is significantly raised by having an abnormally high blood platelet count of more than 400 x 109/l.
- This abnormal high count is also known as thrombocytosis.
- A higher platelet count was most frequently linked to lung and colorectal cancers—both aggressive forms of cancer.
- Professor Willie Hamilton of the University of Exeter Medical School said that the UK lags well behind other developed countries on early cancer diagnosis and the findings on platelet count and cancer diagnosis can help to combat that lag.
Source:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-higher-blood-platelet-cancer.html
Related Words: platelet, thrombocythemia, thrombocytopenia, cancer, high platelet count
