Coagulation markers predict survival in cancer patients

In order to prospectively evaluate the predictive value of coagulation markers such as the fibrin Ddimer for survival of cancer patients, we analyzed their role in a prospective study at a University Hospital Institute of Medical Oncology. 268 consecutive outpatients with cancer were included, 72 in remission and 196 with active disease. All cause mortality in relation to the marker levels was measured. 99/268 patients died during the observation period of 4,484 patient months (mean: 17 months). Patients with active disease had a significant, 1.5-5-fold increased marker concentration compared to patients in remission. When analyzed in quartiles, the data showed a lower than predicted death rate in the first quartile and a significantly elevated mortality in the fourth marker quartile. The odds ratio for death predicted by the fibrin monomer (FM) in the fourth vs. the first quartile was 4.1 (95% C.I.: 1.7-9.7) and p = 0.005 for the multivariate analysis of the markers. We conclude that a single determination of coagulation markers, particularly of TAT, FM, and Ddimer is sufficient to strongly predict survival in cancer patients over the following 1-3 years.