Elevated fibrin-related markers in patients with malignant diseases frequently associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation and venous thromboembolism

Objective Many patients with malignant diseases are frequently complicated with some type of thrombosis, such as venous thromboembolism (VTE) or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Methods This retrospective study was designed to examine the frequency of thrombosis in 478 patients with malignant diseases in comparison to that observed in 121 patients without malignant diseases and to evaluate the efficacy of fibrin-related markers (FRMs), such as soluble fibrin, fibrinogen and fibrin degradation products and D-dimer, in diagnosing thrombosis. Results The frequency of thrombosis, including 62 cases of VTE, 63 cases of DIC and nine cases of cerebrovascular thrombosis, was significantly higher in the patients with malignant diseases (28.0%) than in the patients without malignant diseases (12.5%). DIC was frequently detected in the patients with hepatic cell cancer and hematopoietic malignancy, while VTE was frequently observed in the patients with colon cancer, breast cancer and urinary tract cancer. The FRMs levels were significantly higher in the patients with thrombosis than in the patients without thrombosis. A receiver operating characteristic analysis showed these markers to be useful for diagnosing thrombosis. Conclusion Patients with malignant diseases have a high risk of thrombosis, and elevated FRMs levels are useful for diagnosing thrombosis in patients with malignant diseases.