Combined Use of Mean Platelet Volume/Platelet Count Ratio and Platelet Distribution Width to Distinguish Between Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Those with Benign Tumors of the Nasopharynx, and Healthy Subjects

PURPOSE: For the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), reliable early indicators with sensitivity and specificity should be sought. This study evaluated the effect of the combined use of mean platelet volume/platelet count ratio (MPV/PC ratio) and platelet distribution width (PDW) for differential diagnosis of NPC. In this study, MPV/PC ratio was used for the first time to diagnostically evaluate NPC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed various hematological indices of three subject groups (208, 185, and 162 patients with NPC, benign tumors of the nasopharynx, and healthy subjects, respectively) and evaluated the value of combined use of MPV/PC ratio and PDW for differential diagnosis of the three groups using the one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: Comparison of laboratory variables between the three groups showed a significant difference in MPV/PC ratio and PDW (P<0.001, all). The MPV/PC ratio in the NPC group was significantly lower than the other two groups (P<0.001); MPV/PC ratio also showed a statistically significant difference in different stages (P=0.034) and serosal invasions (P<0.001) of the NPC group. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed that areas under the curve (AUC) of either patients with benign tumors of the nasopharynx (AUC(MPV/PCratio+PDW): 0.708) or healthy subjects (AUC(MPV/PCratio+PDW): 0.909) were larger than those of MPV/PC ratio (AUC(MPV/PCratio): 0.665, 0.869, respectively) and PDW (AUC(PDW):0.614, 0.716, respectively) use alone (P<0.05, all). CONCLUSION: MPV/PC ratio and PDW may be used as indexes of NPC. MPV/PC ratio combined with PDW could be considered as meaningful laboratory indexes for differential diagnosis of NPC, benign tumors of the nasopharynx, and healthy subjects. This finding could enhance the detection of NPC.