Post written by Hamzah Abu-Sbeih, MD, and Yinghong Wang, MD, PhD, from the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of endoscopic procedures in patients with underlying thrombocytopenia or neutropenia or both. Additionally, to provide risk factors for increased risk of adverse events.
The evidence on this topic is very limited. At our institution, a tertiary cancer center, we are frequently consulted to perform endoscopy in patients with these conditions that are common in cancer patients. Therefore, we sought to investigate this important aspect that is frequently encountered.
Endoscopic procedures are relatively safe in cancer patients with platelet count >50 × 103/μL. Nevertheless, a platelet count of ≥20 × 103/μL could be an appropriate threshold for platelet transfusion if 50 × 103/μL is difficult to achieve. The functional status of the patient, in the absence of the need for urgent or necessary endoscopic interventions, should be considered when deciding whether to perform endoscopy. The risk of procedure and the ANC did not seem to affect the outcomes.
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