Role of Plasma D-Dimer Levels in Breast Cancer Patients and Its Correlation with Clinical and Histopathological Stage

Abstract

Breast cancer, the most common female malignancy, represents a heterogeneous group of tumors, which presen both varied behaviors and response to therapy. This study was done with an attempt to evaluate the role of D-dimer in patients of carcinoma breast, in predicting lymph node metastasis in carcinoma patients and to look for relationship of these markers with histopathologic parameters. Clinical data was obtained from clinical examination of patients admitted in the Department of Surgery with history of breast lump and confirmed with fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). Clinical staging was done using TNM staging. D-dimer level was measured prior to commencement of treatment, i.e., modified radical mastectomy (MRM) or neoadjuvant chemotherapy and finally 6 months after surgery or completion of 6 cycles of chemotherapy. The characteristics of the study population Out of 60 study cases minimum age of the patient being 30 years and maximum being 74 years. Of all histopathologic variables examined, D-dimer levels directly correlated with extent of lymph node involvement and lymphovascular invasion, D-dimer levels correlated strongest with the number of positive lymph nodes, but not with tumor size, estrogen receptor status, and progesterone receptor status. This study clearly shows that plasma D-Dimer levels are elevated in carcinoma breast patients. Increased D-Dimer levels are an important marker of clinical stage, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node involvement, and tumor metastasis.

<p>The Research Progress on the Prognostic Value of the Common Hematological Parameters in Peripheral Venous Blood in Breast Cancer</p>

“…Studies have shown that the level of D-dimer is related to the occurrence of breast cancer, is an independent factor in the prognosis of breast cancer, and is associated with distant metastasis of breast cancer. 24 Levitan and other scholars have pointed out that thromboembolism in cancer patients is 6 times that of normal people. Thromboembolism can lead to hypercoagulability of blood, damage to blood vessels and slow blood flow.…”