A common blood test result was linked to death risk after brain tumor surgery
Original title: The non-linear association between preoperative platelet to white blood cell ratio and 30-day postoperative mortality in adult tumor craniotomy: a retrospective cohort study.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This was a look back at records from people who already had surgery, not a test of any treatment.
The short version
In a large records review, people with a lower platelet to white blood cell ratio before brain tumor surgery were more likely to die within 30 days after it.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at hospital records for 9,434 adults in the United States who had surgery to remove a brain tumor. They compared each person's platelet to white blood cell ratio from a blood test before surgery with whether the person died within 30 days after surgery.
What they found. 297 of 9434 people died within 30 days of surgery, which was a rate of 3.148%. A higher ratio before surgery went along with a lower risk of dying. This link only held below a ratio of 20.111. Below that point, each one unit rise in the ratio came with about an 8% lower risk of dying within 30 days. Above that point, the link was not clear.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: A blood test many people already get before surgery might help doctors spot who faces more risk. It could become one more piece of information a surgical team uses when planning care and watching a person closely after surgery.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean the blood test predicts what will happen to any one person. The study only looked back at old records, so it shows a link, not a cause. Nothing here was tested as a treatment, and changing this blood ratio has not been shown to help anyone live longer. The authors say other studies still need to confirm it. This is not a cure and it does not change treatment today.
Source: PubMed, July 20, 2026 · Read the original
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