Summary
Plasma levels ofd-dimer, a degradation product of crosslinked fibrin, were determined in 73 patients with breast cancer. In these patients, significantly elevated plasma levels ofd-dimer were found, as compared to healthy controls (P<0.0001). In addition, we observed a moderate correlation between plasma levels ofd-dimer and those of CA15-3 (r=0.40;P<0.001) and betweend-dimer and carcinoembryonic antigen (r=0.39;P<0.01). Plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT), reflecting the activation of thrombin, were also significantly elevated in patients with breast cancer (P<0.0001), and a poor, but significant correlation between carcinoembryonic antigen and TAT (r= 0.25;P<0.05) was found. We conclude that the increase in plasmad-dimer and TAT levels might reflect an enhanced activation of the clotting system in patients with breast cancer.
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Abbreviations
- CEA:
-
carcinoembryonic antigen
- TAT:
-
thrombinantithrombin-III complex
- Fbg equiv:
-
fibrinogen equivalents
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Supported in part by a grant from the “Fonds 600 Jahre Wiener Universität der Wiener Handelskammer”.
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Mitter, C.G., Zielinski, C.C. Plasma levels ofd-Dimer: a crosslinked fibrin-degradation product in female breast cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 117, 259–262 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01625435
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01625435