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Annals of Oncology Advance Access published online on October 30, 2009
Annals of Oncology, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdp474
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

D-dimer as a possible prognostic marker of operable hormone receptor-negative breast cancer

A. P. B. Batschauer1, C. P. Figueiredo1, E. C. Bueno1, M. A. Ribeiro2, L. M. S. Dusse3, A. P. Fernandes3, K. B. Gomes3,4 and M. G. Carvalho3,*

1 Department of Clinical Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Vale do Itajaí
2 Department of Oncology, Hospital and Maternity Marieta Konder Bornhausen, Itajaí
3 Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy
4 Department of Clinical Pathology, Technical College, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

* Correspondence to: Prof. Maria das Graças Carvalho, Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenue Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 31270-901, Brazil. Tel: +55-31-3409-6881; Fax: +55-31-3409-6985; E-mail: mgcarvalho{at}farmacia.ufmg.br

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cause of death in women by neoplasia. The mechanisms related to recurrence are unclear, specially the hemostatic alterations that occur during the development of the disease. Plasma D-dimer is a hypercoagulability and fibrinolytic system marker and is increased in patients with various solid tumors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hemostatic status assessed by plasma D-dimer in operable breast cancer patients and to investigate its value as a prognostic marker.

Materials and methods: The study comprised 32 patients with operable hormone receptor-negative breast cancer and a control group with 43 healthy women. Variables included presence and absence of breast cancer, clinical and histopathology findings, and overall survival.

Results: Plasma D-dimer level was normal in the control group and significantly higher in breast cancer patients (P = 0.001), as well as in nonsurvivors compared with survivors (P = 0.025). The results showed that plasma D-dimer levels were not correlated with clinical and histopathology findings (P > 0.213).

Conclusions: The results taken together indicate the presence of a hypercoagulability state in women with operable hormone receptor-negative breast cancer given the increased levels of D-dimer in this group. Therefore, considering higher levels of D-dimer in patients with a poor outcome, its evaluation may be a promising tool for prognosis in women with operable hormone receptor-negative breast cancer.

D-dimer, hormone receptor negative, hypercoagulability, operable breast cancer, prognostic

Received for publication June 28, 2009. Revision received August 19, 2009. Accepted for publication August 27, 2009.


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