Association between multiple coagulation-related factors and lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer: A retrospective cohort study

Wenhao Qiao; Shengxu Sha; Jiyuan Song; Yuezhi Chen; Guodong Lian; Junke Wang; Xinxiu Zhou; Lipan Peng; Leping Li; Feng Tian; Changqing Jing

doi:10.3389/fonc.2023.1099857

Association between multiple coagulation-related factors and lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer: A retrospective cohort study

Front Oncol. 2023 Feb 23:13:1099857. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1099857. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Wenhao Qiao¹, Shengxu Sha¹, Jiyuan Song¹, Yuezhi Chen^{1

2}, Guodong Lian^{1

2}, Junke Wang², Xinxiu Zhou², Lipan Peng^{1

2}, Leping Li^{1

2}, Feng Tian^{1

2}, Changqing Jing^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
² Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China.

Abstract

Background: Patients with tumors generally present with accompanying activation of the coagulation system, which may be related to tumor stage. To our knowledge, few studies have examined the activation of the coagulation system in reference to lymph node metastasis within gastric cancer. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between multiple coagulation-related factors and lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer after excluding the influence of tumor T stage.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively evaluated the relationship between lymph node metastasis and coagulation-related factors in 516 patients with T4a stage gastric cancer. We further analyzed influencing factors for lymph node metastasis and verified the predictive value of maximum amplitude (MA, a parameter of thromboelastography which is widely used to assess the strength of platelet-fibrinogen interaction in forming clots) in reference to lymph node metastasis.

Results: Platelet counts (P=0.011), fibrinogen levels (P=0.002) and MA values (P=0.006) were statistically significantly higher in patients with T4a stage gastric cancer presenting with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis. Moreover, tumor N stage was statistically significantly and positively correlated with platelet count (P<0.001), fibrinogen level (P=0.003), MA value (P<0.001), and D-dimer level (P=0.010). The MA value was an independent factor for lymph node metastasis (β=0.098, 95% CI: 1.020-1.193, P=0.014) and tumor N stage (β=0.059, 95% CI: 0.015-0.104, P=0.009), and could be used to predict the presence of lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer (sensitivity 0.477, specificity 0.783, P=0.006). The independent influencing factors for MA value mainly included platelet levels, fibrinogen levels, D-dimer and hemoglobin levels; we found no statistically significant correlations with tumor diameter, tumor area, and other evaluated factors.

Conclusion: We conclude that MA value is an independent influencing factor for lymph node metastasis and tumor N stage in patients with T4a stage gastric cancer. The MA value has important value in predicting the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.

Clinical trial registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2200064936.

Keywords: gastric cancer; lymph node metastasis; maximum amplitude; prognostic factor; tumor N stage; tumor T stage.

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the [National Natural Science Foundation of China] under Grant [81900524]; the [Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province] under Grant [ZR2020MH252; ZR2020MH205]; the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation under Grant [2020M672102]; the [Science and Technology Development Program of Jinan] under Grant [202134027].