Pulmonary embolism and hematologic outcome in cancer patients initiating chemotherapy

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between chemotherapy use and the frequency of pulmonary embolism (PE) and associated mortality, clinical, and biochemical parameters. An additional aim was to analyze computed tomography pulmonary angiography findings. Materials and Methods: The study population comprised 65 of 368 consecutive patients diagnosed with PE who underwent chemotherapy in the Medical Oncology Department. The study population had cancer of various origins, including breast, colorectal, lung, gynecological, gastric and pancreatic, lymphatic, and other sites. The patients' clinical records were reviewed for leukocyte and platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, and level of mortality. As the parameters were normally distributed, the correlation coefficients and their significance were calculated using Pearson's test. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the leukocyte counts among the cancer groups. A t-test was used to compare the means of the platelet and leukocyte counts between the patients. A Chi-square test was used to compare binary outcomes for categorical variables. Patients who died in the 1 st year and others (survivors and patients who died after the 1 st year) were compared using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results: When the patients who died in the 1 st year and the survivors were compared, there was a statistically significant difference in the platelet count between the two groups. The platelet count, MPV, and leukocyte count of the patients with PE were significantly high. The leukocyte count was also significantly high in patients with breast, colorectal, lung, and gynecological cancers. Conclusion: Our results indicate that in cancer patients with PE who undergo chemotherapy, the platelet count, MPV, and leukocyte count are significantly high.