Hyperfibrinogenemia is associated with lymphatic as well as hematogenous metastasis and worse clinical outcome in T2 gastric cancer.
BACKGROUND
Abnormal hemostasis in cancer patients has previously been described, however the correlation between the plasma fibrinogen level and cancer metastasis and prognosis has not been reported in a large-scale clinical study.


METHODS
Preoperative plasma fibrinogen levels were retrospectively examined in 405 patients who underwent surgery for advanced gastric cancer. The association of fibrinogen levels with clinical/pathological findings and clinical outcome was evaluated.


RESULTS
There was a positive correlation between plasma fibrinogen levels and the depth of invasion (p < 0.05). Hyperfibrinogenemia (>310 mg/dl) was independently associated with lymph node (Odds Ratio; 2.342, P = 0.0032) and liver (Odds Ratio; 2.933, P = 0.0147) metastasis, not with peritoneal metastasis in this series. Patients with hyperfibrinogenemia showed worse clinical outcome in T2 gastric cancer, however, there was no correlation of plasma fibrinogen level with prognosis in T3/T4 gastric cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results might support the idea that hyperfibrinogenemia can augment lymphatic and hematogeneous metastasis of advanced gastric cancer, which is major determinant of the prognosis in T2 gastric cancer. Therefore, in the situation without peritoneal involvement, hyperfibrinogenemia is a useful biomarker to predict the possible metastasis and worse clinical outcome in T2 gastric cancer.
Yamashita
Hiroharu
H
Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. hyamashi-tky@umin.ac.jp
Kitayama
Joji
J
Kanno
Nobuko
N
Yatomi
Yutaka
Y
Nagawa
Hirokazu
H
D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D015415:Biomarkers; D005340:Fibrinogen