Elevated D-dimers are also a marker of underlying malignancy and increased mortality in the absence of venous thromboembolism

Abstract

This study provides evidence of very high D-dimer levels in patients with cancer who do not have VTE. This suggests that elevated D-dimer levels in patients with VTE and malignancy are not solely due to presence of thrombus. High D-dimer levels in malignancy are likely to reflect the biology of the underlying tumour, with higher levels observed in breast, prostate and bowel cancers.

The Prognostic Value of High Pretreatment Plasma D-Dimer Levels in Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients with Absence of Venous Thromboembolism.

“…Elevated D-dimer levels indicated poor prognosis and increased mortality risk. 4 Zhang et al 23 evaluated the mortality risk of patients with lung cancer who had undergone surgery. They showed that elevated D-Dimer levels were significant prognostic factors for operable patients with lung cancer.…”

“…2 Thus, systemic activation of coagulation and hemostatic system in cancer patients without thromboembolism have been under investigation. [2][3][4] D-dimer, a fibrin degradation product, plays an important role in activation of coagulation, angiogenesis, progression and invasion of tumor. 5,6 Cancer patients and even healthy adults with elevated D-dimer levels have higher mortality compared to general population.…”

Elevation in D-Dimer Levels after the Surgical Treatment of Stage IA Extramammary Paget’s Disease: A Risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis

“…Previous studies have revealed that D-dimer levels increase in elderly individuals [15,16]. In addition, recent major surgery, trauma, infection, arrhythmias, cancer, pregnancy, and liver disease can elevate D-dimer levels [17][18][19][20]. Thus, the elevation in D-dimer levels in the present study may not be associated with DVT but rather with the operation itself and the high mean age because older patients tended to have higher D-dimer levels than younger patients.…”

The Role of Fibrin(ogen) in Transendothelial Cell Migration During Breast Cancer Metastasis

“…Fibrin deposition at the tumor-normal host cell interface as well as in the stroma of primary tumors is well documented, and is thought to protect tumors from infiltrating inflammatory cells by acting as a barrier thereby preventing inflammatory reactions directed towards the tumor cells (reviewed in (Simpson-Haidaris & Rybarczyk, 2001)). The presence of D-dimer, a fibrin degradation product indicative of pathological fibrin formation and dissolution, correlates with poor prognosis in most solid tumors including colon, prostate, lung and breast (Batschauer et al, 2010;Kilic et al, 2008;Knowlson et al, 2010). However, in some malignancies, including breast, evidence demonstrating deposition of fibrin within the primary tumor is lacking (reviewed in (Simpson-Haidaris & Rybarczyk, 2001)).…”