Background: Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker which has been investigated in many cancers but datafor head and neck lesions are limited. We aimed to study the MPV levels in head and neck cancers as a diagnosticmarker. Materials and Methods: A total of 96 head and neck cancer patients and 31 control patients who did notmeet exclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. The cancer locations, the platelet and MPV levels at the firstdiagnosis time were collected. Results: The head and neck cancer location distribution between these patientswas 2 (2.1%) buccal, 9 (9.4%) tongue, 6 (6.3) lip, 1 (1%) gingiva, 1 (1%) hypopharynx, 1 (1%) ear, 58 (60.4%)larynx, 2 (2.1%) maxilla, 2 (2.1%) nasal, 1 (1%) nasopharynx, 2 (2.1%) palatal, 3 (3.1%) primary unknown,1 (1%) retromolar, 1 (1%) thyroid, 2 (2.1%) tonsil, and 4 (4.2%) salivary gland. MPV levels were significantlydifferent between cancer and control group (p=0.002). The cut-off point for MPV predicting head and neckcancer is >10 fL (sensitivity=55.21, specificity=87.10). Conclusions: MPV level increase, a readily assessableparameter which does not bring extra costs can warn us regarding head and neck cancer risk.
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