The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between circulating tumor cells (CTC) and D-dimer (D-D) and platelet (PLT) in patients with pulmonary malignancies. A total of 98 patients with lung cancer admitted to West China Hospital, Sichuan University, from June 2016 to February 2017 were enrolled in the present study. D-D and PLT levels were measured in the fasting elbow vein of the patients. The expression of CTC in peripheral blood was detected by negative separation using immunomagnetic beads and immunocytochemical staining. The correlation between CTC and D-D and PLT in patients with lung cancer was analyzed. The mean level of D-D in the peripheral blood of 98 patients was 1.80±1.63 µg/l, and the level of D-D was correlated with distant metastasis (P<0.05). The mean level of PLT in peripheral blood was 305.53±141.22×109/l in 98 patients, and the level of PLT was correlated with patient age, clinical stage and distant metastasis (P<0.05). The levels of D-D, PLT and distant metastasis were significantly higher in CTC-positive than in CTC-negative patients (P<0.05). Therefore, CTC can predict the distant metastasis of lung cancer, and the incidence of distant metastasis is high in patients with hypercoagulable state.
Keywords: D-dimer; circulating cells; lung cancer; platelet.