Prognostic Value of Plasma D-dimer in Patients with Resectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in China

Background: Plasma D-dimer is closely related to prognosis in several cancers. The aim of the current study was to determine the prognostic value of plasma D-dimer in patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: A total of 337 patients with resectable ESCC were enrolled in this retrospective study. The 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic factors. A nomogram model was also performed to predict the cancer prognosis. Results: In our study, there were 242 patients (71.8%) with plasma D-dimer ≤ 0.5 μg/ml and 95 patients (28.2%) with plasma D-dimer > 0.5 μg/ml. There was a significantly better 5-year CSS in patients with plasma D-dimer ≤ 0.5 μg/ml than patients with plasma D-dimer > 0.5 μg/ml (35.5% vs. 21.1%, P < 0.001). Multivariate analyses reported that plasma D-dimer was an independent prognostic factor in patients with resectable ESCC (P < 0.001). In addition, a nomogram was also performed to predict the CSS. The Harrell's c-index was 0.68. Conclusion: We conclude that plasma D-dimer was an independent prognostic biomarker in patients with resectable ESCC.