Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35482741›Full record

ArticlePloS one2022

Thrombocytosis and abnormal liver enzymes: A trigger for investigation of underlying malignancy.

Lucy C Gold, Iain Macpherson, Jennifer H Nobes, Eleanor Dow, Elizabeth Furrie, Scott Jamieson, John F Dillon

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 52% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Lucy C GoldSchool of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-6994-0293
Iain MacphersonDivision of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-0443-2073
Jennifer H NobesDepartment of Blood Sciences, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, NHS Tayside, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Eleanor DowDepartment of Blood Sciences, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, NHS Tayside, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Elizabeth FurrieDepartment of Blood Sciences, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, NHS Tayside, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Scott JamiesonKirriemuir Medical Practice, Kirriemuir, United Kingdom.
John F DillonDivision of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.
NHS Tayside · GBUniversity of Dundee · GBRaigmore Hospital · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThrombocytosis is often an incidental finding in primary care with a range of causes. Despite evidence of a strong association between thrombocytosis and malignancy, guidelines for investigating thrombocytosis in the absence of red flag symptoms remain unclear. A novel automated system of laboratory analysis, intelligent Liver Function Testing (iLFT), launched in Tayside in 2018 and has identified a patient group with thrombocytosis and abnormal liver test (LFT) results. This study analysed the outcome of these patients and investigated the use of thrombocytosis combined with LFTs in predicting risk of cancer. METHODS AND

findingsBetween August 2018 and August 2020, 6792 patients underwent iLFT, with 246 found to have both thrombocytosis and at least one abnormal LFT. A random case-matched control group of 492 iLFT patients with normal platelet count and at least one abnormal LFT was created. 7.7% (95% CI 4.7-11.8%) of patients with thrombocytosis had cancer compared to 2.0% (1.0-3.7%) of controls. Patients <40 years or with pre-existing causes of thrombocytosis were then excluded. Subsequent analysis revealed a 10.8% (6.6-16.3%) incidence of cancer in thrombocytosis patients (n = 176) compared to 2.5% (1.2-4.6%, p = 0.00014) in patients with normal platelet count (PLT) (n = 398). When thrombocytosis is combined with elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP), there is a positive predictive value (PPV) of 20% for cancer. These rules were subsequently applied to a validation cohort of 71,652 patients, of whom 458 had thrombocytosis and elevated ALP. There was a 30.6% cancer incidence, confirming the strong predictive value of the combined test of PLT and ALP.

conclusionsThese findings suggest a substantial increased risk of cancer in patients with thrombocytosis and raised ALP. This could be developed as an adjunct to current investigation algorithms, highlighting high-risk patients and prompting further investigation (such as computed tomography scans) where indicated.

Indexed as

Liver DiseasesNeoplasmsThrombocytosisHumansLiver Function Tests

Identifiers

PMID35482741
PMCPMC9049564
OpenAlexW4225517108

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.