Objective  To evaluate the prognostic value of pretreatment platelet and fibrinogen levels for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after complete resection.

  Methods  Four hundred and five patients with pathological-proven NSCLC who underwent complete resection between March 2004 and January 2007 were included in this study. Blood samples for pretreatment platelet and fibrinogen examinations were collected. Platelet and fibrinogen levels were analyzed with patients' clinical parameters.

  Results  The overall prevalence of thrombocytosis (>350×10⁹/L) was 16.5%, and that of hyperfibrinogenemia (>4 g/L) was 36.3%. Patients with thrombocytosis and/or hyperfibrinogenemia exhibited poor overall survival (P=0.002). Multivariate survival analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model demonstrated that pretreatment platelet levels (P=0.048), tumor stage (P < 0.05), and tumor progression (P < 0.05) were independent prognostic factors of NSCLC. The median survival time among patients with low-, intermediate-, and high-risk NSCLC were 67, 24, and 20 months, respectively (P < 0.05).

  Conclusions  Elevated pretreatment platelet and fibrinogen levels significantly correlate with poor survival in patients with NSCLC. Moreover, the risk model can potentially improve prognosis by enabling the detection of highrisk patients and providing a reference for individualized treatments.