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. 2017 May 6;19(1):103–111. doi: 10.3233/CBM-160510

Preoperative plasma fibrinogen, but not D-dimer might represent a prognostic factor in non-metastatic colorectal cancer: A prospective cohort study

Tingting Hong 1, Di Shen 1, Xiaoping Chen 1, Xiaohong Wu 1, Dong Hua 1,*
PMCID: PMC13020701  PMID: 28269756

Abstract

BACKGROUNDS: Cancer progression has been associated with host hemostasis system. Whether preoperative plasma hemostasis factors can predict survival in colorectal cancer is quite intriguing.

METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study to validate the prognostic significance of three hemostasis parameters - fibrinogen, fibrin degradation products (FDPs) and D-dimer - in non-metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with curative resection.

RESULTS: All three parameters were positively correlated with C reactive protein (CRP) levels and Glasgow Prognostic scores (GPS). In univariate cox hazards regression model, as continuous variables, both fibrinogen (HR: 1.07, 95%CI: 1.01-1.13) and FDPs (HR: 1.17, 95%CI: 1.05-1.31) were prognostic, while D-dimer levels were not. Patients with hyperfibrinogenemia had a 2.12-fold increased mortality risk compared with patients without hyperfibrinogenemia. Patients with positive FDPs had a 3.68-fold increased mortality risk compared with patients with negative FDPs. In multivariate models, hyperfibrinogenemia was prognostic (HR: 3.39, 95%CI: 1.34-8.67) in patients with normal GPS scores.

CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative fibrinogen levels appeared as an independent mortality risk factor in non-metastatic colorectal cancer patients with normal GPS scores. Fibrinogen could be a reliable marker to identify high risk patients for those without systematic inflammation responses.

Keywords: Colorectal neoplasms, survival, fibrinogen, fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products

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