May platelet count be a predictor of low-risk persistent gestational trophoblastic disease?

Purpose: The aim of this paper was to determine whether platelet count could be used as an early marker to predict low-risk persistent trophoblastic disease (PTD) from complete hydatidiform mole (CHM).
Methods: This study included 27 PTD, 30 CHM, and 30 healthy pregnant women. All patients were evaluated with respect to age, gestational age, parity, BMI, and platelet count. All women had low-risk disease using FIGO and WHO scoring systems.
Results: There were no significant differences in terms of age, gestational age, parity, BMI between the groups (P > 0.05, for all). Platelet levels were lower in patients with low-risk PTD compared with CHM and healthy pregnant group (P = 0.001 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Platelet levels were also found to be lower in patients with CHM than in healthy pregnancies (P = 0.006). There was a negative relationship between platelet count and low-risk PTD (r = 0.47, P < 0.0001) in the study. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a high diagnostic value for platelet count with respect to low-risk PTD with an area under curve of 0.80 (95% confidence interval = 0.89-0.90), sensitivity = 77% and specificity = 75%.
Conclusion: Platelet count was significantly decreased in low-risk PTD compared with CHM and healthy pregnant controls. Platelet count can be used as a reliable marker for the early detection of low-risk PTD.