title: Increased D-dimer value and occult cancer in the absence of detectable thrombosis.
abstract: Fibrin formation and removal occurs continuously during the development of malignancy. Accordingly, hemostatic disorders in cancer patients are a rather frequent observation and range from asymptomatic laboratory changes to massive thromboembolism or haemorrhage. We document the case of an asymptomatic women, who was enrolled as a healthy control in a study and showed up with a substantially increased D- dimer value. After ruling out the most probable sources of D-dimer elevation, such as thrombosis, inflammation and trauma, she underwent laboratory and radiological investigations for malignancy, which were consistent with a colorectal metastatic adenocarcinoma. This case allow us to hypothesize that screening for occult malignancy in the presence of apparently inexplicable elevated D-dimer values may be taken into consideration.
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Chimica e Microscopia Clinica, Dipartimento di Scienze Morfologico-Biomediche, Università degli Studi di Verona, Italy. giuseppe.lippi@univr.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lippi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Franchini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Biasiutti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dellagiacoma
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Salvagno
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Guidi
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009780:Occult Blood; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; C036309:fibrin fragment D