Open Access

Splenic volume as a prognostic indicator for unresectable pancreatic cancer

  • Authors:
    • Rei Suzuki
    • Shiro Ishii
    • Hirotake Watanabe
    • Tadayuki Takagi
    • Mitsuru Sugimoto
    • Yuki Sato
    • Jun Nakamura
    • Mika Takasumi
    • Tsunetaka Kato
    • Minami Hashimoto
    • Takuto Hikichi
    • Hiroshi Ito
    • Hiromasa Ohira
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: December 17, 2020     https://doi.org/10.3892/wasj.2020.80
  • Article Number: 9
  • Copyright: © Suzuki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

Metrics: Total Views: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )
Total PDF Downloads: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )


Abstract

The clinical role of an enlarged spleen in pancreatic cancer (PC) patients treated with chemotherapy has not yet been fully evaluated. Thus, the present study investigated the association between splenic volume and prognosis in 50 patients with unresectable PC treated with chemotherapy. Contrast‑enhanced computed tomography was performed prior to chemotherapy in all patients. A 3D reconstruction of the spleen and splenic volume measurements was performed by an experienced radiologist. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on reported splenic volume and the cut‑off value set at the mean + 1 standard deviation (SD) as follows: Group 1 (n=34, splenic size < mean + 1SD) and group 2 (n=16, splenic size ≥ mean + 1SD). Survival analysis for overall survival (OS) was performed using the Kaplan‑Meier method with the log‑rank test in univariate analysis. Forward stepwise multivariate analysis was performed to determine the influence of clinicopathological variables. Cox regression analysis was used for multivariate analysis, and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated. A P‑value <0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference. In the survival analysis, splenic volume (group 1 vs. group 2, median of 14.8 vs. 8.2 months, P=0.04) was related to OS. The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that treatment (P=0003), N‑stage (P=0.001), M‑stage (P=0.0001) and splenic volume (P=0.001) were independent prognostic factors for OS. A higher incidence of severe thrombocytopaenia was observed in group 2 than in group 1. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that splenic volume may be a prognostic indicator for patients with PC.
View Figures
View References

Related Articles

Journal Cover

January-February 2021
Volume 3 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 2632-2900
Online ISSN:2632-2919

Sign up for eToc alerts

Recommend to Library

Copy and paste a formatted citation
x
Spandidos Publications style
Suzuki R, Ishii S, Watanabe H, Takagi T, Sugimoto M, Sato Y, Nakamura J, Takasumi M, Kato T, Hashimoto M, Hashimoto M, et al: Splenic volume as a prognostic indicator for unresectable pancreatic cancer. World Acad Sci J 3: 9, 2021
APA
Suzuki, R., Ishii, S., Watanabe, H., Takagi, T., Sugimoto, M., Sato, Y. ... Ohira, H. (2021). Splenic volume as a prognostic indicator for unresectable pancreatic cancer. World Academy of Sciences Journal, 3, 9. https://doi.org/10.3892/wasj.2020.80
MLA
Suzuki, R., Ishii, S., Watanabe, H., Takagi, T., Sugimoto, M., Sato, Y., Nakamura, J., Takasumi, M., Kato, T., Hashimoto, M., Hikichi, T., Ito, H., Ohira, H."Splenic volume as a prognostic indicator for unresectable pancreatic cancer". World Academy of Sciences Journal 3.1 (2021): 9.
Chicago
Suzuki, R., Ishii, S., Watanabe, H., Takagi, T., Sugimoto, M., Sato, Y., Nakamura, J., Takasumi, M., Kato, T., Hashimoto, M., Hikichi, T., Ito, H., Ohira, H."Splenic volume as a prognostic indicator for unresectable pancreatic cancer". World Academy of Sciences Journal 3, no. 1 (2021): 9. https://doi.org/10.3892/wasj.2020.80