Lobectomy for lung cancer in a myelodysplastic syndrome patient with decreasing platelet aggregation: report of a case.

BACKGROUND

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are clonal stem cell disorders of the bone marrow. Most patients with MDS have a high risk of bleeding. Thrombocytopenia and defective platelet aggregation contribute to bleeding. We report a surgical case of a patient with lung cancer concomitant with MDS.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old man presented to our hospital because of an abnormal shadow on chest x-ray suggesting a primary lung cancer. A peripheral blood smear examination found giant platelets without thrombocytopenia. He was diagnosed with MDS by bone marrow biopsy, and showed defective platelet aggregation despite a normal bleeding time. The patient underwent left lower lobectomy and transfusion of platelets because of chest wall bleeding.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated that ordering platelet preparations might be desirable for an MDS patient with defective platelet aggregation who will undergo surgery, even for a normal platelet count and bleeding time.