Bone marrow metastasis by solid tumors--probable hematological indicators and comparison of bone marrow aspirate, touch imprint and trephine biopsy.

Bone marrow metastasis is an important presentation of solid tumors affecting their prognosis and management. The present study was conducted to analyze the hematological indicators which can predict the marrow metastasis along with the comparison of bone marrow aspirate, touch imprint and trephine biopsy, to define an effective method for its early diagnosis. The study showed that there was statistical significant difference in mean of mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW) between the cases and controls (P<0·001) and MPV at cut off of <8 fl showed significantly high positive predictive value (100%) and likelihood ratio (21·170) for bone marrow metastasis. Furthermore, bone marrow imprint cytology detected metastatic cells in 96% of cases. Thus, the study concluded that low MPV could be used as a probable indicator for bone marrow metastasis and the meticulously prepared touch imprint smears, along with bone marrow aspirate, provide an efficient method for rapid diagnosis of metastasis.