High plasma CD40 ligand level is associated with more advanced stages and worse prognosis in colorectal cancer

Figure 2 Baseline plasma CD40 ligand, interleukin-6, and thrombopoietin level and platelet count of study participants (mean ± SD). A: Baseline plasma CD40 ligand; B: Platelet count; C: Interleukin-6 level; D: Thrombopoietin level. CD40 ligand level (Kruskal-Wallis test: P = 0.0275) and platelet count (Kruskal-Wallis test: P = 0.0004) was the highest in Stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Interleukin-6 (Kruskal-Wallis test: P < 0.0001) and thrombopoietin (Kruskal-Wallis test: P = 0.0002) levels of the CRC patient groups, except those in Stage II in the latter, were significantly higher than those of healthy control subjects. The red dot and thick line represent mean and median values, respectively. AJCC: American Joint Committee on Cancer.