Elevated fibrin-related markers in patients with malignant diseases suspected of having thrombotic disorders.

BACKGROUND

Most patients with malignant diseases are frequently complicated with some type of thrombosis, such as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) or deep vein thrombosis (DVT)/pulmonary embolism (PE).

OBJECTIVE

The cohort and retrospective study was designed to examine the frequency of thrombosis in patients with malignant diseases and to evaluate the efficacy of D-dimer and soluble fibrin (SF) for the diagnosis of thrombosis.

PATIENTS/

METHODS

The plasma concentrations of D-dimer and SF were measured in patients with malignant diseases suspected of having thrombosis. D-dimer and SF were measured using a latex aggregation assay.

RESULTS

Thrombosis was observed in 23.3% of the patients with malignant diseases. Disseminated intravascular coagulation was frequently observed in patients with hepatoma, and DVT/PE was frequently observed in patients with colon cancer, lung cancer, and uterine cancer. The plasma levels of D-dimer and SF were increased in malignant diseases, especially hepatoma. Plasma levels of D-dimer and SF were significantly higher in patients with thrombosis in comparison to patients without thrombosis. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed the D-dimer and SF levels to be useful in the diagnosis of thrombosis.

CONCLUSION

Elevated D-dimer and SF levels might indicate a high risk of thrombosis in patients with malignant disease; however, these assays still need to be standardized.