Peripheral blood erythrocytes morphology in ovarian cancer

Abstract

Aim. To assess the morphology of circulating red blood cells in patients with stage III ovarian cancer. Methods. The object of the study was the peripheral blood erythrocytes of primary patients with ovarian cancer (n=25) who had stage III according to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Patients were examined in the gynecological department of Ulyanovsk Regional Clinical Oncology Center. The control group included 25 somatically healthy women. Morphological studies were performed using light microscopy. The number of red blood cells with an unchanged and altered shape was expressed as a percentage. By the method of atomic force microscopy, the topology and rigidity of red blood cells was studied. Results. A statistically significant decrease in the number of circulating blood erythrocytes was found in patients with ovarian cancer compared to somatically healthy women. At the same time, the number of discocytes is markedly reduced while the number of morphologically altered forms: echinocytes, stomatocytes, spherocytes and erythrocyte rigidity are increased. Conclusion. With the appearance of altered forms of red blood cells and increase of the transformation index and erythrocyte rigidity in patients with stage III ovarian cancer, total number of red blood cells decreases in circulating blood compared to somatically healthy women.