PREOPERATIVE D-DIMER PLASMA ASSAY IS NOT A PREDICTOR OF CLINICAL OUTCOME FOR PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED OVARIAN-CANCER

D-dimer (DD) plasma levels are significantly higher in patients with o varian cancer than in those with benign ovarian masses. The aim of thi s paper is to assess whether preoperative DD plasma assay has a progno stic relevance for 35 patients with advanced ovarian cancer receiving platinum-based chemotherapy. Preoperative DD levels ranged from 162 to 3720 ng/ml. The 25, 50, and 75% quartiles of DD levels were 1600, 189 4, and 2069 ng/ml, respectively. Preoperative DD levels correlated nei ther with the common clinicopathological prognostic variables nor with the disease status at the end of first-line chemotherapy. Survival wa s related to residual disease after initial surgery (greater than or e qual to 2 cm vs < 2 cm, P = 0.003), but not to preoperative DD levels. In conclusion, the present data seem to show that preoperative DD pla sma assay is not a predictor of clinical outcome for patients with adv anced ovarian cancer. (C) 1997 Academic Press.